Street Fighter: New Archives
by DeNice
Summary: Auras, friendships, surprises, and disasters... Enter a story in which three teenagers embark on a journey that changes them forever. Please read and review.(FINISHED with minor corrections)
1. Intro & First Archive: The Kid Returns

INTRODUCTORY ARCHIVE  
  
Authors Note: I do not (repeat, DO NOT) own any of the characters from the animes or games. I just make things work here. That's why it's called a "fanfic". Only the original characters belong to me.  
  
Also... {} - Means thoughts  
  
. - Most likely if this is between two words right next to each other, it was supposed to be (...) I'm working on fixing it right now.  
  
A vacation turned bad. a trip around the world. a fight for the right to live. a martial arts tournament. the ultimate battle. love and romance. action and suspense. You'll find it all here, including character appearances from Street Fighter, Rival Schools, Power Stone, Darkstalkers, King of Fighters, Yu-Yu Hakusho, Battle Arena Toshinden, and Bloody Roar, but before we get started, you need to know the background story. and the three characters that lead it.  
  
Prolog Chapter  
  
Full Name: Darrell Markis Goodson (opposite of Badguy. Sorry. Just wanted to type that}  
  
Age: 16  
  
Origin (Nationality): United States  
  
Fighting Style: Loose Self-taught Shotokan Karate/Tae Kwon Do  
  
Birthdate: December 7th  
  
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius  
  
Blood Type: N/A  
  
Likes: Video games, pizza  
  
Dislikes: Being picked on, injustice  
  
Super Moves: Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken, Rekka Nakkura, Furi-sutairu Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku  
  
Darrell is a young teen from the northeastern United States who used to get picked on. a lot. During his middle-elementary school years, he got his first taste of the fight courtesy of the school bully, then again in middle school with a classmate. It was at the latter time that he got to know the Pan American Champ, Ken Masters, through the televised tournaments and wanted to know more about fighting. He tried instructed Tae Kwon Do but quickly dropped out, not interested in being taught by a sensei. He took what little he knew from his early encounters and started to copy Ken's moves. then put them together into his own little fighting style.  
  
At this time, he was about to come out of middle school but out of the blue he was offered to a foreign exchange program. His destination: Tokyo, Japan. Once he arrived, he found the high schools in peril. Even though the middle schools weren't affected, Darrell just couldn't stand idly by and let it continue. He set out to get to the bottom of it. but he was quickly ambushed by a gang of high school students. He wasn't nearly strong enough to ward them all off and just before he began to lose consciousness, two freshmen girls came in and warded them off. Their names: Sakura Kasugano and Hinata Wakaba.  
  
The instant he laid eyes on them, he knew he was in debt to them. He wanted to help in their investigation. Unfortunately he wasn't in any shape to help out. So while he rested, the two went on. It took a few days for Sakura and Hinata to find a lead to the culprit: Justice High School. With the help of Hinata's other friends, Batsu and Kyosuke, they managed to get through Batsu's father, who was brainwashed by Kyosuke's twin brother, Hyo. However, by the time the four found him, Darrell was already there: beaten, but not after weakening Hyo enough for Kyosuke to defeat him.  
  
Shortly afterwards, Darrell left for home but not after promising Sakura that he'd get stronger. Two years have passed since then. and now he's coming back for vacation. Did he get stronger over the period of time? What new tricks are up his sleeve? What new challenges and adventures lie ahead of him?  
  
Full Name: Sakura Kasugano  
  
Age: 17  
  
Origin (Nationality): Japan  
  
Fighting Style: Shotokan Karate  
  
Birthdate: March 15th  
  
Zodiac Sign: Pisces  
  
Blood Type: O  
  
Likes: White rice, running, cooking  
  
Dislikes: Playing with her brother in video games  
  
Super Moves: Shinku Hadouken, Haru Ichiban, Midare Zakura, Harugokusatsu, Nekketsu Hadouken  
  
Sakura is a teen girl who is fascinated in fighting. It all started in two ways. One was when she got word of a man named Ryu who won the first Street Fighter tournament when she was 14. This man grabbed her attention to the world of street fighting and she dreamed in becoming just like him. Second and most critically was when she and her friend, Kei, were almost raped by three drunken college men. In desperation, Sakura fought them off (very well) and she was so impressed with her own skills that she decided to learn how to fight. At first she was a pupil of Dan Hibiki and his Saikyo style, but grew dissatisfied in it and learned by herself.  
  
She met up with Ryu a year afterwards and had a fight with him (in which Ryu let her win). She asked for him to be her teacher but Ryu declined, saying that he wasn't ready to teach someone since he was still learning himself. He did encourage her to keep training for their next battle and Sakura took that deep into consideration.  
  
Soon after returning to her school agenda, the high schools went under attack. Sakura, joined by her friend Hinata, went to get to the bottom of things. One day during an investigation day, the two found a gang of elite Justice High students beating up a single middle school kid. He was different, however, since he wasn't Japanese. He was Aftican-American. Sakura and Hinata fought off the mob and helped the kid, who was beaten pretty badly. He stated his name, Darrell Goodson, and what he was doing; trying to uncover the mystery of the attacks.  
  
After getting Darrell into medical care, the girls met up with Batsu and Kyosuke and ambushed Justice High, making it all the way to the brains of the operation: Kyosuke's twin brother, Hyo Imawano. However, Darrell managed to beat them there and paid for it. He was almost murdered by Hyo's swordplay but he managed to damage him enough for him to be defeated.  
  
Everything went back to normal after that. and Darrell made his way back home. While he said goodbye to the girls, he made a secret promise to Sakura saying that he'd get stronger. and hoped that she would do the same so they could have a great sparring match if he ever came back. She accepted and trained afterwards. It's now two years later and Sakura's life has been toned down. That is. until she meets up with a certain someone again. Will she ever be the same again after what happens next?  
  
Full Name: Hinata Wakaba  
  
Age: 16  
  
Origin (Nationality): Japan  
  
Fighting Style: Karate  
  
Birthdate: April 12th  
  
Zodiac Sign: Aries  
  
Blood Type: O  
  
Likes: Cake, fighting techniques  
  
Dislikes: Bugs, staying still  
  
Super Moves: Hisshou Rengekiken, Resen Enbukyaku, Fire Senpukyaku  
  
Hinata's life was pretty simple. All she had to do was go to school, come home, do homework and hang out with friends. It went like that all throughout her school years and she was happy about that. She seemed like an ordinary peppy schoolgirl in Japan. That all changed once the high schools were attacked. That's when her warrior spirit arouse as she sought to protect her school from being attacked, not to mention getting to the bottom of the matter. She teamed up with her three closest friends, Sakura Kasugano, Batsu Ichimonji, and Kyosuke Kagami, and formed an investigation to solve the mystery. Along the way, they got into fights with rival schools; the confusion enough to turn schools against one another.  
  
Their search came to a critical point when she, along with Sakura, saved Darrell from a pack of Justice students. They met and made a quick friendship with him just before they took on Justice High, which seemed to have been the brains of the operation. After a load of intense battles, Hyo was defeated and the schools returned to normal. Darrell left for the States and things seemed to be all good.  
  
Unfortunately, it didn't last. Unlike the previous two whom had a two year break in between main events in their lives, Hinata, Batsu, and Kyosuke had their hands full with another problem. The schools were in turmoil again, and it all revolved around one new student in Justice High. He was really an assassin by the name of Kurow Kirishima who was sent to destroy the Imawano family (a.k.a Batsu, Kyosuke, Hyo, and Batsu's father, Raizo) for their exposure to the public. He also had his own personal plans to take over Japan, a feat Hyo tried and fail to complete.  
  
Once again, the trio stopped him, but Hyo came in, willing to kill him. The latter battle between Hyo and Kurow led to Hyo's father's evil energy being released from Hyo's sword. and Hyo becoming possessed by Mugen Imawano, the father. Kyosuke once again fought his brother in an emotional battle, but the price for winning was high. Although Hyo had been exorcized, he died shortly after.  
  
One year passed since that event. and after a long while things seemed to finally get into the right place. Unfortunately, once again things will get out of hand. and this time, it might be more than Hinata can swallow.  
  
FIRST ARCHIVE: SEARCH FOR RYU  
  
1. The Kid Returns  
  
The ocean was so quiet at night. It was projecting a mirror image of the dark, navy blue sky and the silver moonlight. Every now and then, an aquatic animal or two would come toward the surface. They probably would have stayed there if it wasn't for the roar of jet engines passing overhead.  
  
An airplane soared through the night sky. Its destination: Tokyo, Japan. On board, a young teenager looked through the window, his eyes glowing in the moonlight. He was of African descent with short, black hair and dark spots all over his face. He wore black jeans and sneakers with a white designer shirt. A smile crossed his face.  
  
{This is great!} he thought to himself. {I never expected Japan to be so. so beautiful! I guess I haven't been here in while to forget about that.}  
  
He was right. Although he couldn't see much through the small window, he could clearly see the hunk of land that was Japan. At night, it was a dark black mass, with many spots of light dotted all over from buildings. just like his face. His smile widened.  
  
{I'm coming back. Sakura Kasugano. Trust me on that. I can't wait to see you again.}  
  
There was a small tap on his shoulders.  
  
"Huh?" he yelped out a bit as he turned around to see the stewardess staring at him.  
  
"Are you okay, sir?" she asked humbly.  
  
The teen smiled again. "Never felt better."  
  
He turned his attention back to the site outside. "It is simply beautiful." he said to the stewardess. He turned back to the woman as she spoke again.  
  
"Do you need anything, sir?" she asked.  
  
"No. just something to drink, please. Some water."  
  
She nodded, then turned and walked down the isle. The teen turned his head to the window yet again.  
  
{Sakura. I can't wait to see you again. and to spar with you. I've been training. I'll show you why they call me Darrell Goodson back in the States.}  
  
----- -----  
  
A young Japanese girl woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. Drowsily, she read the time. 6:00 A.M., she read it while shutting it off and moving out of her bed to get ready for the new day.  
  
She had dark brown hair, which was short, yet wild. She was thin, and quite a sight to be seen. She was in her nightgown, and on her forehead was a white headband. Unlike a normal headband, this one had two extensions that lead down her back. This is Sakura Kasugano.  
  
After finding some clothes, she carried herself and showered herself in her bathroom, then dried herself off. She dressed herself in blue pants and a white, long-sleeve shirt with light blue stripes along the sleeves, then headed for the kitchen. She stepped in, put a hand on the refrigerator handle, but had a thought that stopped her from opening it. She looked at her clock, which read 6:40. She decided to eat out, since she had 1 hour and 20 minutes to kill.  
  
Since her family didn't wake up yet, she quietly went pass their bedrooms to her own. She jumped onto her bed and reached for her phone to punch in a number.  
  
{I hope she's awake, now,} Sakura thought to herself as she heard the phone ring a few times before someone picked up the other end.  
  
"Hello?" the feminine voice responded. Even though Sakura knows that voices on the phone are distorted, she knew who this was.  
  
"Hi, Hinata," she responded cheerfully. "You know who this is?"  
  
"Oh. Sakura," Hinata said. Her voice was tired. "Why did you call so early?"  
  
"You know that we are supposed to meet up at my house, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, I'll be going out to eat breakfast. I'm telling Kei to meet me at the Shining Tiger restaurant. Tell Batsu and Kyosuke the same, okay?"  
  
"Fine. Same time, right?"  
  
"Yeah, sure!" Sakura chimed. "See ya, later!"  
  
Sakura hung up the phone, and after calling Kei, started to leave her house. She was just about to open the front door when she heard a soft creaking of the steps. She turned around to see her mother standing at the head of the row of stairs.  
  
"Where are you going, Sakura?" she asked sleepily.  
  
"Sorry, mom. Did I wake you?"  
  
Sakura's mother shook her head. Sakura continued.  
  
"I'm going out to eat some breakfast and meet Hinata."  
  
The mother yawned. Sakura just stared at her. Finally, she responded.  
  
"Fine, then. Try not to be out all day, okay?"  
  
Sakura smiled, and then left out the door. She stopped on the head of the outside steps of her house to smell the Tokyo air before moving on the city streets. Everything was so busy out here. Cars zoomed by on the street and people rushed by to their destination. Sakura had a wide smile on her face as she rushed down the sidewalk to the restaurant that she was meeting Hinata and the gang at. As she ran across an intersection, she let her mind wander a bit.  
  
It had been a while since she had a good fight. She had spent most of her time training herself when she wasn't doing homework. She likes to be physically active. a lot. She really gets a thrill out of fighting, and she first discovered her talent after a. incident concerning a few drunken college guys, her friend Kei, and herself. After that, she felt so excited about her newfound fighting abilities that she trained hard everyday. Fighting was her passion and she loved every moment of being in a heated fight with a strong opponent.  
  
Strong opponents. Sakura let that sit in her mind for a bit as she walked. She had fought many strong opponents in her adventures, from protecting her school and helping her friends with the strange disappearances of many high school students to traveling the world in the famous Street Fighter tournaments, always looking for. him.  
  
{Ryu.} she thought happily. He was Sakura's idol. He was the strongest of opponents, traveling the world, looking for a new challenge. She had many memories of the man in the white gi and headband. Those were the days. but now, nothing good has happened in a few months now. She sighed. I hope something happens soon. I'm bored to death. She wouldn't have to wait long.  
  
Bump.  
  
Sakura's daydream came to an abrupt end when she ran into someone. She stumbled backwards, losing all momentum. Feeling a little embarrassed. okay, very embarrassed, Sakura started to belt her apologies while brushing herself off.  
  
"Uh. I'm sorry about that." She let out a nervous giggle while looking at the ground. "I wasn't looking."  
  
She didn't know whom she bumped into until she looked up. It was a tall man, a bit older than Sakura. He wore red pants with an orange designer shirt. He also wore sunglasses, which were crocked because of Sakura's little incident.  
  
As Sakura finished gathering herself, she waited for the stranger to answer her apology. He did, but not exactly like she expected.  
  
"Well, well, well," he said. "Look what we got here. It must be my lucky day to have such a lovely young lady run into me like that."  
  
Sakura let out a laugh. She considered that as a compliment and the answer to her apology. She started to move past the man, but he blocked her way.  
  
"Where do you think you're going, beautiful?" he said with a bit of a sarcastic sentimental tone in his voice. "Why don't you come with me and enjoy the sites, eh?"  
  
Sakura responded by shaking her head. "Sorry, I have somewhere to go. Also, I have already seen all the sites. Now, if you will excuse me."  
  
Once again, the guy blocked Sakura's way. Sakura started to develop a look of annoyance.  
  
"Come on. you know you want to. No one can resist my charm. Secretly. you know you want me."  
  
{He's so ignorant.} Sakura thought to herself. Then she said. "Please, I really don't."  
  
People started to stare at the two now. Sakura noticed, stopping her sentence, but the guy sure didn't. He started to move in a bit and Sakura backed up.  
  
{I'm going to have to get by him one way or another.}  
  
"Listen, unless you want to spend the weekend in the hospital, I suggest you let me through."  
  
"Oh. feisty!" the guy responded to Sakura's warning. "I like that." He reached out to touch Sakura, and she responded by grabbing his arm and throwing him over her shoulder. He landed on the ground and stayed there a bit, rubbing his back. Sakura got into a defensive stance  
  
{I don't think he's finished with me yet,} she thought to herself as the young man got up.  
  
"Oh, you like to play rough, huh?" He held up a hand and snapped his fingers. Nothing happened at first, but Sakura was greeted with about 5 big young men. One of them looked back to the man Sakura threw.  
  
"Hey, Sho! Is this girl causing problems?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," Sho responded while pointing a finger at Sakura. "But not anymore. You know what to do, boys. Get her!"  
  
A few of the guys started laughing a bit as two advanced at Sakura. Sakura stepped back as many times as the two closed in.  
  
"Okay, boys," Sakura said, clenching a fist. "I really don't want to do this, but you left me with no choice."  
  
She stepped to the side a bit and rushed forward to the closest guy with her fist to her side.  
  
"Shouoken!" she yelled as she slammed her fist into the man's body several times before sending him into the air with a rising uppercut. As he landed, the second guy let out a yell as he lunged at Sakura as she was landing. Hearing the yell, Sakura anticipated where he would try to hit her.  
  
{Why do they always go for the head?}  
  
She bent down, dodging his blow while sweeping him off his feet with her leg. He let out a surprised gasp as he hit the ground. By this time, all five of the new men started to attack Sakura. She tried to dodge their attacks and was successful at the time being. However, she couldn't find any room to counter-attack since they seem to throw blows one right after the other.  
  
{This is great,} Sakura thought. {If this keeps up I won't be able to fight back. I got to think of something.}  
  
She, after blocking a few more attacks, came up with an idea. As one of the thugs charged in, she rushed in and grabbed him. He let out a surprised, "What the.?" as Sakura climbed on top of him while turning around and kicked him away with her feet. He went crashing into another guy as she flew across the sidewalk, nearly colliding into a woman in the process. The other 2 guys, including Sho, looked at the two man pileup then Sho said, "Wait a minute. where is Kenji?" They looked around, and Sakura paused. Now that she thought about it, she did only see 5 guys, not 6.  
  
Suddenly, arms reached from behind Sakura to grab her. She struggled to break free, but he had a great grip around her torso.  
  
"Excellent, Kenji," Sho said while smiling. "Now that that little ordeal as ended, let us go to our hangout, shall we, beautiful?"  
  
"Arrg. let me go!!" she yelled out, but Kenji had that as the last thing on his To Do list.  
  
{I can't believe this! I can't take on 6 guys at once like this. I took on three college guys before, but they were drunk. I can't do all this.}  
  
Sakura struggled for a little more, but it just wasn't working. Kenji had her good, and his buddies were closing in. She could see their smiles. but they quickly changed into looks of concern.  
  
Sho pointed at Kenji and Sakura. "Hey, look out!"  
  
"Huh?" Kenji said, then. POW!  
  
Sakura felt Kenji's grip loosen suddenly, then she elbowed him in the head to break free. She spun around to see who broke Kenji's grasp. As she landed, she saw a figure of brown skin. He was roughly the same height as Sakura, and he was wearing black jeans with a white shirt with a picture of a tiger on it and a few kanji letters around it. What stood out most were the numerous dark spots over his face. Once she saw them, she instantly knew who it was.  
  
"Darrell." she said, relieved. "This is a surprise."  
  
He gave a smile while fixing his blue handguards. "Hi, Sakura! Long time, no see, eh?" His expression changed to serious as he looked at the other 5 guys that weren't knocked unconscious. "I see that you might need some help here."  
  
"Yeah." she responded. She pulled out her own red handguards and put them own. "I'm supposed to go to get myself some breakfast. Looks like I got derailed."  
  
They stood side by side as the 5 men stared at them. One of the guys looked at Sho. "Well, boss. what do we do now? I never saw this guy before."  
  
"Relax, Renousuke. he only knocked Kenji out with a cheap shot from behind. I bet he really can't fight. just like the girl."  
  
That triggered something with both Darrell and Sakura.  
  
"What. did you just say?" Darrell demanded. He seemed to get a bit angry at Sho's remark. It showed in his tone of voice, which rose and the pause indicated that he wanted to make sure he heard right. "If you want to see what we can do. then, come at me!"  
  
"I'm getting tired of this guy," Renousuke yelled out before charging out toward the dark skinned fighter. "Take this!"  
  
He held his closed fist out above his head as he charged. Darrell got into a stance, waiting for Renousuke to attack. Sakura looked at Renousuke's fist. She gasped as she saw something glisten in the sun. It was something long. and sharp.  
  
"Darrell!" Sakura yelled out. "He's got some type of dagger in his hand!"  
  
Darrell noticed. Renousuke got into range.  
  
"You are a fool!" he called out before bringing down his fist down to hit Darrell.  
  
All of a sudden, Darrell stepped to the side, causing Renousuke to trip off balance. Then he rushed from Renousuke's blind side.  
  
"Who's the fool?! Shakunetsuken!" He screamed as his right fist glowed with burning energy. He slammed it right into the big guy's stomach, causing him to drop the dagger. and his body, and hold his stomach with his arms. He stayed in that position for a while before finally falling over on the sidewalk.  
  
One of Sho's boys started to get angry.  
  
"Why that no good, foreign. I'll get you!" he bellowed, but he didn't get the chance to even make 3 steps before hearing a voice say, "Hadouken!"  
  
He looked to his right and saw a blue ball of energy slam right into his body. He reeled from the blow then tripped off into the sidewalk. The blast of energy came from the outstretched hands of Sakura, who got back into an offensive stance. Darrell took his eyes of the man that Sakura hit to Sho and the remaining 2 goons.  
  
"Now. do you need more proof that we know how to fight," Darrell started, fixing his handguards again, "or are you going to let my friend and me pass? It is your choice."  
  
Sho clearly showed that he didn't want any part of the duo. He put his hands up as if to say, "Don't hurt me."  
  
"G-g-go right ahead. It is my f-f-fault. Sorry!"  
  
"Thank you!" Sakura smiled as her friend and she walked right passed Sho. When they were out of the gang's earshot, Sakura spoke. "I wasn't expecting you to be here in Tokyo, Darrell."  
  
Darrell turned his head to Sakura, smiling. "Well, I never expected you to do so well by yourself. I saw you from the side while you were dodging and countering all those guys' attacks. You must have been doing some serious training!"  
  
End of First Chapter. The second. not to mention a lot more are coming! 


	2. New Techniques

2. New Techniques  
  
"Well, what brings you to Japan, Darrell?" Sakura asked curiously while sipping her drink from her cup.  
  
Darrell placed his hands behind his head. "One word," he responded. "Vacation! Things were getting hectic back home in the States. I was going crazy! So I took a leave of absence from my school for the final few weeks and decided to revisit Tokyo to relax some. You're pretty lucky that your school is out now."  
  
Sakura finally got to the Shining Tiger restaurant at around 8:00. The fight took 20 minutes, and since the restaurant was a bit far from her house, it took a while to get there. They have already ordered their food, which was sitting on the table, waiting to be eaten.  
  
"So. how have you been, Sakura?" Darrell asked. He tilted his chair back when he spoke.  
  
Sakura put her cup down, and then spoke. "Things have been toned down quite a bit. Nothing exciting really. You know how I am; school, training, hanging out with friends." she paused a bit before continuing. "Speaking of friends, I'm supposed to meet Hinata, Batsu, Kyosuke, and Kei here."  
  
A smile spread across Darrell's face. "They'll be surprised to see me again." He closed his eyes while drinking from his cup. After a while, his eyes shot open and he stopped drinking. He put his cup down and asked, "Who is Kei?"  
  
"Oh, you didn't see her the last time you were here, have you? She is my close friend. She's really nice, but she has been trying to stop me from fighting for the longest time."  
  
"She sounds protective."  
  
"Nah. Just concerned about my well being."  
  
Darrell shrugged. "I guess she doesn't see things from a fighter's point of view."  
  
Sakura began eating while he spoke, so it took a while before she responded. "I don't mind it, really. But if I wasn't a Street Fighter, I wouldn't be able to." She trailed off.  
  
"Something wrong?" Darrell asked before stuffing his face with some food.  
  
She shook her head. "No. The gang is here."  
  
Darrell didn't turn around immediately, but he knew what Sakura was talking about. The two waited for the newcomers to break the ice.  
  
Three young teenagers approached the table that Sakura and Darrell were sitting at. The girl had on blue jeans with a plain white short-sleeve shirt and multi-colored sneakers. Her dark brown hair sort of spread out somewhat, and like Sakura, had on a headband, only without the extensions. One of the boys had on all blue, save for the sneakers, which were mostly white with red stripes. He had a scar on his right forehead and his black hair was completely wild. The last member of the group had short, orange hair and glasses. He also wore a gray shirt and white pants and white sneakers with blue and yellow stripes.  
  
"Hey, Sakura!" the girl cheered out while giving Sakura a formal greeting.  
  
"Hi, Hinata," Sakura responded, her mouth full with food. The teen boy in the blue outfit rolled his eyes when he saw Sakura. She swallowed and then looked at the two boys.  
  
"How is it going, Batsu and Kyosuke?" Darrell said. He tilted his chair back again.  
  
Batsu, Kyosuke, and Hinata looked straight at the dark-skinned teen as if he was a distant cousin that they have never seen before. The orange-headed boy, after about a few seconds, finally smiled, closing his eyes. "Wow. it is you. Darrell Goodson: the kid that helped us with the Justice High School incident. How are you?"  
  
"I'm okay, Kyosuke," Darrell sighed. "I'm taking a breather here. America was been a bit crazy lately, just incase you were wondering why I'm here."  
  
"I see."  
  
Darrell turned his eyes to Batsu, who was just standing next to the table, staring down at him. Kyosuke and Hinata already took a seat next to Sakura and Darrell.  
  
"Hey, Batsu," Darrell started. "I can see that you're doing OK. why don't you take a seat. I know that you are tired from your 'journey' from your house to here." He laughed a short laugh at his own pathetic joke.  
  
As always, Batsu didn't laugh. He just cracked a small smile. A very small smile. "Whatever." he muttered.  
  
Darrell raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, Batsu? I could have sworn that, well, with that look on your face, you were about to crack a laugh."  
  
Batsu shook his head. "Don't you start again," he warned. "Let's not forget. you and me have a little rivalry going."  
  
"Sure. Whatever you say."  
  
Sakura spoke next. "Darrell. that move you used on that guy. I can tell that you just learned that move. What was it?"  
  
Darrell had just finished his meal when Sakura asked her question. When he looked up, everyone had their eyes on him. "Let's see, now. the Shakunetsuken. I created that move. It is like Ken's Shoryuken, only without the whole jumping into the air with the uppercut. My fist, like, covers with flames as I deliver this wicked punch to my opponent. If anything. it was sort of inspired by Batsu's Guts Upper."  
  
This caught Batsu's attention. "What do you mean 'inspired'? It sounds like a complete rip-off!"  
  
Then Hinata added, "And what guy were you talking about, Sakura? You mean to tell me that Darrell just comes to Japan and on his first day back he knocks somebody senseless?"  
  
"Well," Sakura began. "It goes like this." Sakura told her friends about the incident with Sho and his pals. It wasn't anything to be proud about considering what the five did over the last three years.  
  
Batsu gave a smirk. "That's nice and all, but this Shakunetsuken. I want to see what you are talking about."  
  
"Fine." Darrell stood up. "I guess it would be better to show you than to tell you." He turned to a waitress that was passing by. "Check, please."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Shakunetsuken!"  
  
Darrell rushed forward through the grass with his flaming fist and gave a right hook into air. Then, he gave an uppercut. The others looked on at the show that Darrell was putting on with his new technique. The 5 of them went to a public park where they could see the Shakunetsuken without disturbing anyone. which was pretty hard to do if someone just walks by and sees a foreigner displaying fighting techniques with flames for fists. Darrell was really working up a sweat, picking up the speed and variation of his attacks.  
  
"Well, it looks like most of us have been training," Hinata commented while drinking a soda that she got from the Shining Tiger.  
  
"Well, it is a bit unique that he can attack so many times with his hand on fire for so long," Kyosuke added.  
  
Darrell stopped his self-sparring and his fist stopped burning. He looked up towards the gang. "Now that I think about it, I had something to show you guys, especially you, Sakura."  
  
Sakura's eyes lit up as she sat on the fresh grass. "Like what?"  
  
Darrell had a smile on his face. "You know the Shinku Hadouken that you taught me?"  
  
Sakura nodded. The Shinku Hadouken was a powerful, bigger version of her Hadouken that she used earlier. It required a mass amount of energy to use and can take a while to learn. Sakura herself taught Darrell how to do the Shinku Hadouken about 2 years ago while he was recuperating from his beating at the hands of Justice High students. Surprisingly, Darrell already knew how to use the normal Hadouken and didn't take him long to perfect the move.  
  
"Well." Darrell placed his footing and clasped his hands to his side. "I have been working hard to make mine better. Check this out!"  
  
He focused himself. After a while, everything around them was very quiet, save for the breeze that came though. Their clothes rippled in the wind.  
  
{What could he be doing?} Sakura asked herself as a faint blue aura surrounded Darrell.  
  
A small, blue sphere of energy entered his hands that eventually got bigger. Unlike Sakura, who normally lets her Shinku Hadouken go at this point, Darrell let it charge in his hands, making it even bigger and covering it with electricity.  
  
{He has the power right now,} she thought again. {I wonder why he is still holding it.}  
  
Darrell started to hum loudly. Suddenly, his aura and his energy sphere turned from blue to red-orange.  
  
"Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken!"  
  
He shot his hands forward, releasing the sphere in a huge red energy blast. It crossed the grass, almost burning it as it traveled. It kept going for about 5 seconds before it dwindled and disappeared.  
  
"Wow," Sakura awed at this new attack. The power felt so. enormous that she felt her own energy start to burn. "It must have taken you a long while to master that!"  
  
Darrell turned to his friend, smiling. Even though he was smiling, he couldn't hide the fatigue look of his body. "Well. I. try.ugh." Suddenly, Darrell dropped to his knees. Everyone else gasped at this turn of events.  
  
He looked up at his friends, which were coming over to see what's the problem was. "It's just that. when I use these moves. it takes a lot of my energy." He fell backwards to the ground.  
  
Batsu put a hand over his face. "I don't believe this," he commented. "He improves his moves. but he cannot sustain the energy loss."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Darrell managed to say. "I'll get used to it. It sort of reminds me of this show I watched back in the States." He paused for a while before saying, "Did any of you guys learn any moves?"  
  
For the first time today, Batsu smiled fully. "Now that you mention it. we did."  
  
Batsu stepped away from the rest of the young fighters. Batsu positioned himself as Darrell sat up to see.  
  
{Let's see what Batsu has been doing lately,} he thought.  
  
Batsu started to brace himself. Soon after, twin flames shot out of his fists. He let out a loud growl, and then he shot forward into the open field.  
  
"Maximum Guts. UPPER!" he belted as one flame-covered fist shot down into an overhead attack, then gave an extremely powerful uppercut that unearthed some of the ground with an explosion.  
  
Darrell's eyes widened. {Now THAT is power,} he thought.  
  
"Well, Batsu Ichimonji," Sakura started, "it seems as if you have another powerful attack at your disposal." She turned her attention to her friend, Hinata. "How about you, Hinata?"  
  
Hinata smiled. "I'm surprised you asked. Really, I spent my time changing my Fire Senpukyaku. I call it the Resen Enbukyaku!"  
  
"Why don't you show us then?" Sakura egged her on, nudging her elbow into Hinata's ribs. Hinata brushed Sakura off.  
  
"All right then." She made her way past Batsu, who was walking towards Kyosuke. Kyosuke had kept quiet ever since they entered the park.  
  
{He must have learned something, too,} Darrell thought.  
  
Hinata started her new attack. She ducked down, and then yelled out a bit. She sprang into the air, swinging her legs to kick upward into the air. Her kicks were trailed with rainbow colored energy. After 5 kicking rotations, she stopped her attack and landed on the ground, then she quickly said, "Then there is this other move. Hisshou!"  
  
She rushed forward, and then let out a barrage of punches. There were so fast that they seemed to blur. Then she ducked down and yelled out, "Moutei!" as she spread out her fists while spinning into the air, creating a mini-cyclone. When she finally landed, she let out a "Phew! That is my new Hisshou Rengakiken! And I have a lot more improved attacks to show. but you'll see them later!" Hinata gave a huge smile.  
  
"Okay, now," Sakura started out to where Hinata was. "I have a move to show, but I'll need a sandbag. sort to speak."  
  
No answer from the group. until Darrell stood up.  
  
"Why not?" he said. "It has been a while since I've been hit hard. Try it on me, whatever it is."  
  
Sakura started to protest a bit. He had already lost a large amount of his energy on those moves he demonstrated, but he insisted, and she knew the others didn't want to try this new move. "Okay." she said, "but it is your funeral."  
  
Sakura charged herself up, and then she rushed forward toward Darrell. She stopped right in front of him and unloaded a huge barrage of punches and kicks to Darrell's vulnerable body. He had no choice but to eat the super. Sakura finally finished with a multi-hitting Shouoken, sending the teenager flying to the ground. She quickly rubbed her nose and opened her hand out. "That's how it's done!" she boasted as Darrell slowly got up.  
  
He was rubbing his cheek, right where Sakura's last punch landed. "No one lands punches like Sakura Kasugano! That's for sure!" Darrell complimented. "I guess you can't be a great fighter without having to take a hit. What do you call that, Sakura?"  
  
"That's my new Midare Zakura," she responded. "I see you liked it."  
  
"It was interesting." Kyosuke finally spoke.  
  
"Kyosuke. you are the only one who hasn't shown us a new move. Do you have one?" Darrell was asking this one.  
  
Kyosuke responded with a smile. "I do. but unlike you guys, I don't wish to show it unless if I'm in battle."  
  
"Come on!" Darrell was egging him on now. "Don't leave me in suspense."  
  
Kyosuke was about to respond, but was cut off by Sakura.  
  
"Oh, no! I forgot about Kei! She is probably still at the Shining Tiger!"  
  
Without waiting for a response from the others, Sakura ran toward the exit of the park.  
  
"Wait up a minute!" Darrell's voice rang out as he, along with the rest of the group, pursuit Sakura. As they left, they almost ran into a group of spectators. They all looked at the 5 fighters in awe as they speeded across the street. One of them in particular smiled a bit, unlike the others, which had a big, surprised look.  
  
{Looks like those kids are heading back to the restaurant. I saw their little demonstration, and they can be very useful. Very useful indeed.}  
  
He pulled out a cell-phone and punched some numbers. After 2 rings a, "Boss?" came through.  
  
"Listen, there are a few potential fighters coming to the Shining Tiger. They are looking for someone named Kei Chitose. I suggest you get to her before they do. I'll meet you there. and contact Sho while you're at it. He should be in the vicinity. Oh, and one more thing. get him there, too, just in case they are that good. I need to examine these 5 kids."  
  
End of Chapter 2. 


	3. Quick Tragedy

3. Quick Tragedy  
  
NOTE: Although it's small, this is the first chapter that contains some. mature content. Expect to see me give a warning at the beginning of a chapter if there's something like that.  
  
"Excuse me, but is your name by any chance Kei Chitose?"  
  
A young teenage girl, wearing a pink skirt with a pink, short-sleeved shirt and white sneakers was standing in front of a man in a business suit and sunglasses at the Shining Tiger. Her hair was brown and very long, reaching well past her shoulders. She couldn't get two things. One was the fact that Sakura wasn't here yet. and at the same time, she wasn't surprised. Sakura had a habit of coming late. For all she knew, she could be fighting a complete stranger by now. Man, did she love fighting. She eats, drinks, and sweats martial arts. Also, she didn't even know this man that asked for her for her identity.  
  
{Sakura Kasugano,} she thought. {When we meet. I have a bone to pick with you.}  
  
"Yes. yes I am," Kei responded. "Can I help you?"  
  
"I'm here conducting a survey and we would like you to participate. Do you have a minute?"  
  
Actually, she did. If Sakura was street fighting again, then she had nothing but time. Kei nodded to answer the man's question. He turned around and headed toward an alley with Kei close behind. I hope this doesn't take long.  
  
As the two walked down the alley, Kei started to get second thoughts.  
  
{Why would a survey be taking place here? It doesn't make sense. Maybe I should ask.}  
  
Kei stopped walking and asked her question, but it came out differently. "Excuse me, sir, but how much longer will we be walking?"  
  
The man let out a laugh. "Well, now that you think about it. you won't have to wait for very long." He turned to face Kei with a wicked-looking smile. "Not long at all."  
  
{Okay, this is getting creepy.,} Kei thought. She started to back away from the businessman. "Whatever this is, I want no part of it now!"  
  
The man just looked at Kei as she continued to back out of the alley. His smile widened.  
  
{Why is he smiling? Okay, that's it! I'm getting out of here!}  
  
BUMP.  
  
Kei felt the clothes of another person on her backside. She started to whirl around, but an arm swooped around and pulled her in. Kei started to struggle to break free, but the second arm came over her face. Kei managed to see a cloth in the hand of the swept arm press onto her mouth and nose. Instantly, she smelled what seemed like a mix of alcohol and medicine. Muffled screams came from her as she tossed and turned to try to break free from this new, intoxicating smell. After a while, her efforts began to weaken.  
  
{Ugh. what's happening. to me? I can't. see. what's. going.}  
  
Kei's strength was draining. She stopped moving as her conscience started to slip.  
  
{I. I. Sakura.}  
  
Kei lost consciousness.  
  
----- -----  
  
"She isn't in the restaurant," Sakura said. Her eyes looked worried. "Maybe she went back home when she saw that I wasn't here."  
  
"No, I doubt that." Darrell crossed his arms and gave a weird look. "If she is anything like you said she is she'll wait to see if you are OK before leaving."  
  
"Maybe she went to do a little window-shopping," Hinata suggested.  
  
Sakura's eyes lit up a little. "Maybe. but still. It isn't like her to just up and leave before scolding me for being late."  
  
Kyosuke opened his mouth to speak. "We aren't getting anywhere by just standing around like this. Batsu and I will look this way." Kyosuke pointed a finger down the street. "You guys go the other way."  
  
"Right. We'll meet back here in 30 minutes. I doubt that it will take that long."  
  
The group spread out to find Sakura's friend. But it took a lot longer than 30 minutes to get out of the new mess that they were getting into.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Okay, it has been almost 15 minutes and there is no sign of Kei. I'm running out of options, here."  
  
Darrell stood in front of a shoe store, his arms folded. Like he said, it has been 15 minutes since the split up, and so far the trio wasn't having any luck. Darrell asked on how Kei looked like, and ever since Sakura gave the description, he had found no one like her on the busy Tokyo streets.  
  
"Man, this is frustrating!" he whined. His eyes were fixed onto Sakura and Hinata, who were just coming from the other side of the street. "Did you guys have any luck, because I didn't."  
  
Hinata just shook her head. "We couldn't find her either, and we tried most of the stores that we know that Kei would be in."  
  
Darrell put a hand on his chin. "You know, there is the possibility of Kei never getting to the restaurant in the first place. She might be there now."  
  
Sakura cheered up a bit, even though the feeling of guilt rose in her. "I guess that would be right."  
  
The three of them started to move back toward the Shining Tiger. {If she is there,} Darrell thought, {then this won't be good for first impressions.}  
  
They were one store away from the restaurant when something caught Darrell's eye. He stopped walking, which caught the attention of the girls, and looked down the back alley of the restaurant.  
  
"Hey. that's weird. I could have sworn I saw someone in there."  
  
Sakura thought for a moment. {It could be just another guy. no. Something doesn't feel right. It is like I've seen that person before. but it can't be who I think it is. He. or she is lying down on the ground like she was. knocked out. Wait a minute.!}  
  
Sakura leaned into the alley to get a closer look. It took a few moments, but Sakura finally said something. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good remark.  
  
"Oh my God! That's Kei!" she shrieked while running into the alley, followed by Hinata and Darrell. They didn't stop until they got close to the person that inhabited the alley.  
  
"Just as I thought. It is her! But. what happened to her? She looks as if." Her voice dropped down into a low moan. "No."  
  
Kei's clothes were torn in certain places, but for the most part were mostly covered in filth. She was unconscious and, what really got Sakura angry, looked as if she was. R. A. P. E. D.  
  
"No! I refuse to even think that someone did that to my friend!" Sakura didn't notice that she was screaming, let alone saying what she said.  
  
"Sakura, we need to get her into some type of medical care. If it isn't as serious as it looks. then we'll have to find a way to do something about her clothes. If she is overprotective about you. I don't even want to know how her parents will be like."  
  
Sakura looked up to Darrell, and he could clearly see that she was on the verge of tears. "All right. but who could have such a sick mind? I want to know!"  
  
"Heh, you won't have to worry about that, beautiful. That is just the least of your problems."  
  
Everyone spun around to the entrance of the alley to see a figure appear there. Sakura and Darrell didn't even have to see who that was to know who it was. They heard him before.  
  
Darrell rolled his eyes. "Oh, it's you." All of a sudden, something snapped into Darrell's eyes, as they became full of rage. "YOU! I bet you did this, didn't you?! I can't believe you! How can you just come and. defile someone that you don't even know!? I'll beat some sense into you yet, Sho!"  
  
Sho just stood there laughing, pointing to Kei. This only made the three of them angrier. "I had a feeling that she belonged to you in someway, so I had a certain someone lure her into this little alleyway. and before she knew it, she was out. Then I came in. I bet deep down she enjoyed it."  
  
"Why you sick, perverted pig!" This was Hinata speaking, her voice with just as much rage as Darrell. "You had no right to do that! You've crossed the line!"  
  
Sho shook his head. "No, your friends crossed the line! They beat up my gang! I'm simply looking for revenge."  
  
"Oh, like you didn't already?" Darrell started adjusting his right blue handguard. "Have I got a present for you. It's called 'pain' and you are about to get a helping serving of it!"  
  
"I don't think so. As a matter of fact, I doubt you can even get to me. especially considering that guy standing right behind you!"  
  
"What?!" Sakura belted out. All three fighters gave a look of surprise, and then started to look behind them. The instant they did, a thunderous POW could be heard through the alley. Hinata and Darrell looked in shock as Sakura yelled out, falling over in pain.  
  
"Hey! What the. aah!" Hinata got hers as she got slammed into the restaurant wall, then slid down to the ground.  
  
"Sakura! Hinata!" Darrell was furious. He glared at Sho for a bit, and then turned his attention to behind him. He saw an enormous shadow of a man in front of him. "You did this." he acknowledged. A faint blue aura covered his body. "I swear I'll make you pay! Take this!"  
  
He rushed forward while shouting the words of his attack.  
  
"Rekka. NAKKURA!!"  
  
Darrell let himself go in his anger as he unleashed a flurry of punches at great speeds, following it up with an uppercut that was supposed to knock the shadow into the air so Darrell could pummel him some more. Instead, his uppercut hit the guy's chin, not even budging him. Instantly, Darrell knew something was up.  
  
{Why didn't he get roofed like anybody else? Don't tell me that. my Rekka Nakkura had no effect. That means.}  
  
Darrell's eyes lost the look of anger and were replaced with a scared look. The man just stood there, staring down at Darrell. Then, he took a step forward. Darrell took a step backwards.  
  
He tried to summon enough energy to try another attack, but the aura seemed to have vanished.  
  
{No!! Not now! I ran dry! I don't believe this! I can't pull enough strength to do the Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken. I'm toast.}  
  
All Darrell could do was look on in fear at the massive dark shadow as it raised a fist up high into the air.  
  
{I. can't move! Why can't I move?! He's going to wallop me and I can't put up a defense!}  
  
The fist came crashing down and slammed into Darrell's skull. His head was forced down from the force and he reeled backwards, dizzy. His vision started to blur as all he could see was that shadow fazing in and out of clear view.  
  
{That. bastard. what.?} Then, just as he started to fall forwards, he saw what looked like Sakura stand up slowly, glowing with a strong, blue aura and. and. he blacked out.  
  
----- -----  
  
{That creep! How dare he attack my friends from behind like that! I'll make him pay for it..}  
  
She clasped her hands to her side. Quickly, energy came into them to form a solid ball of electric energy.  
  
"Shinku. HADOUKEN!!" She roared and released the blast at full speed and power at the man-mountain. He turned around from Darrell's fallen body just to meet the blast slam into his body. The force sent him backwards into the dark shadows of the alleyway. Then a thunderous crash was heard and dust sprang up from the ground.  
  
Sakura put her arms down before slumping down to her knees, exhausted.  
  
{Crap! That surprise attack did more damage than I thought. I don't have much energy left. Wait, Sho!} Sakura spun around to see that Sho was nowhere to be found. She let out a low growl. {Damn him.}  
  
Sakura turned her attention to the 'sleeping' bodies of her friends.  
  
{Ugh. I better find Batsu and Kyosuke. There is no way I'm carrying these guys.}  
  
Sakura sighed heavily, then stood to her weary feet and took off.  
  
End of Chapter 3 


	4. Sparring

4. Sparring  
  
"Oh, man. What happened to me? I. feel as if. I got hit by a truck."  
  
The voice was coming from Darrell, who found himself in a beige bedroom, filled with all sorts of stuff that he had never seen in a normal American bedroom. He was lying in bed, one arm on his forehead. Darrell opened and shut his eyelids over and over again to make sure he was able to see okay, then he turned his head to his right to an alarm clock, which read 1:00.  
  
{Geez! I'm a wreck! This is only my first day back and I'm lying on a bed like I was hospitalized. What happened to me?}  
  
He kept asking himself that question in his head, expecting an answer. Eventually, he answered out loud, "I have no idea."  
  
Straining, Darrell forced himself to sit up in the bed. As he did this, his neck responded in intense pain that caused him to yell out a bit and lay back down. He sighed.  
  
{Judging by how badly my neck hurts. and the fact that I can't remember a thing that happened in the last. (he glanced back at the clock) uh. 3 hours or so. I'd say that I got my ass handed to me. badly.}  
  
Just then, he heard the creaking of a door opening. Since he still didn't know where he was, he closed his eyes just enough so that he could appear as if he was asleep, but could see for himself. He heard the soft sound of socks shuffling across the carpet. Taking it as an instinct, he deducted that he couldn't be in an enemy's space. or something like that. It wasn't until he heard the character's voice that he knew roughly where he was at.  
  
"Humph! He is still knocked out. That guy must have really socked him good to be out for 3 and a half hours."  
  
{Sakura.}  
  
Darrell opened his eyes and moved a bit to signal that he was awake. Sakura saw this and replied, with a bit of sarcasm, "Well, I guess you can't be a fighter without knowing how to take a hit." She smiled.  
  
Silence came into the room. Darrell searched his already shell-shocked memory.  
  
{I know that I heard that somewhere before. oh!}  
  
That was his catchphrase. Darrell responded with a, "Well, I'm right, aren't I? But."  
  
What seemed like within an instant, Darrell's memory came flooding back into his head. He closed his eyes and said, ". that guy really beamed me, didn't he?" His voice was stern when the "that guy" came out, but at the end, it turned into a softer tone.  
  
Sakura laughed for what was the first time in a while. "I couldn't get a good view of you and him because my face was literally in the ground, but when I looked up and saw that guy withstand your attack, then slam you over the head, I could tell that you wasn't getting back up. I mean, you were totally dazed!" She laughed even more. "The only reason I'm laughing now is because looking back at it. well, I really can't say why I'm laughing at it."  
  
Without even knowing it, Darrell started laughing himself. It wasn't a loud laugh, but a chuckle. "Hey, what happened to the others?"  
  
Sakura stopped laughing a bit to tell him. "Batsu and Kyosuke had to literally drag you, Hinata, and Kei back here to my house. Hinata and Kei didn't have it as hard as you did, though. They left. I cannot even begin to tell you how pissed Batsu was and how many people were looking at us. My mother was one of them."  
  
"Oh. well, I got to try to get up, but before I do, I need to ask you something."  
  
Sakura didn't respond. After a bit of silence, the boy continued. "I'm no medic, but I can estimate that my neck will be back to normal by tomorrow morning. In the meantime, you don't mind if I stayed here for a while and we do some training together, do you? I guess that I could use a couple of punches to the head."  
  
Darrell struggled to sit up again, this time ignoring his neck pain. He swung his body to the side of Sakura's bed to try to get up, but lost his balance, and before anyone knew it, he was on the bedroom floor with Sakura's confronter all over him. Sakura just stared at him for about 5 seconds, within that time Darrell mumbled, "Just go ahead. You know you want to."  
  
Sakura wasted no time at laughing her head off at his expense before answering Darrell's request with, "Sure, I'll train with you. I guess that the first thing that we'll work on will have to be your stability! But as far as staying here."  
  
----- -----  
  
". and he was beaten by this girl, sir. We couldn't find any data on the other two Japanese boys since they were not present at the time, but we do have info on these three fighters here."  
  
"I see. All three of these have extraordinary strength in their auras. The African-American is quite unique. Although he wasn't a match for him, he demonstrated a mass of his blue aura into a blaze of attacks. If he gets any stronger, he might just poise a threat to the operation, not to mention the girls. Take a good look at these three. They are all gifted in martial arts, this one in Shotokan Karate, this one in another form of Karate, and the last one with a much looser version of Shotokan. And provided that they become stronger within these few weeks, we might just have to take the risk of letting them be so that we can take them for ourselves at their peak."  
  
"Yes, sir. but what about the two others?"  
  
"Sooner or later, we will get the data we need from them. or themselves in person. Whichever one comes first."  
  
"So, sir, what do we do in the meantime?"  
  
"We prepare ourselves. I seriously doubt that we'll be able to pull a stunt like that again. We got lucky since this girl mentioned that nothing good has happened in a while. They'll most likely be on guard now. but don't worry about this end of the operation. I want you to scout these three to see their progress and their moves in their arsenal. The more we know, the better."  
  
----- -----  
  
Daybreak arrived and the morning, Japanese sun met Sakura's face and shone onto it. She had been awake for quite sometime now, pondering about the day before. All the events just seemed to be just revolving around Sho and his gang. but that man that she didn't set a glimpse of couldn't have been in Sho's arsenal before. If so, why didn't Sho sic him on her the first time she and Darrell first combated him? And why did Sakura get the feeling that the man didn't have any sense of chi in his body?  
  
Suddenly, it all hit her.  
  
{Because he couldn't have been human to not admit any chi during the confrontation,} she thought. {If that is so, I doubt Sho could have just stumbled onto him and asked "Hey, want to join our gang?" There is something more to this.}  
  
Sakura's thoughts became interrupted as the door to her backward swung open. Standing in the doorway was Darrell, rotating his head on his newly healed neck.  
  
"Ahh," he exhaled, and then started adjusting his blue handguards, which were already on his hands. "That feels so much better!" He looked in the direction of Sakura, who was standing in the middle of the yard, letting the sun glow on her.  
  
Sakura just stared at Darrell. {He has a major habit of adjusting his gloves all the time,} she thought. "Morning." Sakura greeted Darrell to the backyard.  
  
"Well good morning to you, too. All right, Sakura, I need to get to the nitty-gritty. I have a feeling that something wasn't right about that bastard that knocked me out yesterday."  
  
Sakura gave a look of surprise as Darrell's comment. "It looks like you've noticed that just now, huh?"  
  
Darrell seemed to ignore the comment as he had his hands behind his head, stretching his body, but his next comment deflated any chance of him slacking.  
  
"The guy had no aura," he said coldly. His eyes were totally serious. "Now I'm NOT a genius of knowing about that, but he just had a cold, somewhat metallically feeling where the chi was supposed to be at. Do you have any idea what that means?"  
  
Sakura knew deep down what Darrell was talking about, but decided to not mention it. Darrell continued with, "There is something suspicious about this whole mess. This couldn't have just been a misunderstanding. I feel like-" He cut himself off, shaking his head in the process. "I'm sorry. I'm getting besides the point here. I'm supposed to be training now."  
  
A smile crossed both Sakura and Darrell's faces.  
  
{Finally!} Sakura thought happily. {That was getting a little. well.}  
  
Darrell got into a defensive stance. "Okay, Sakura. Let's get started. First, I want to test my defense. I just stood there like some scared woman in a horror movie when I got beamed. I need for you to attack me for a while as I try to block and evade, OK?"  
  
Sakura nodded. "Just don't expect me to go easy on you!" Then she dropped into her trademark stance. For a while, no one moved. They stood in the middle of Sakura's yard, staring each other down. After what seemed like 10 seconds, Sakura made the first move.  
  
She shot herself forward towards the waiting fighter and delivered a roundhouse kick which was easily blocked. She then followed with high punch, also blocked. Sakura decided to turn her tactics a bit by going low with a sweep kick. Darrell saw her duck and implying that she'll sweep, jumped straight up for a bit. Sakura responded by coming out of her crouch with an uppercut, hitting Darrell's leg out from under him for his landing. Darrell used his arms to keep from landing face first and flipped backwards while Sakura followed in pursuit.  
  
Sakura didn't give Darrell much time to react as she aimed a kick to Darrell's stomach, but he managed to parry it just in time and ditch behind her. Sakura spun around with a high kick that Darrell ducked in the neck of time then he rolled backwards. Sakura followed him with her favorite special move.  
  
"Shouoken!" She rushed forward faster than Darrell could recover from his roll and hit him several times before the uppercut sent Darrell into the air. Darrell could have save himself like he did before, but he let himself drop to the ground. After a brief pause, he rolled to Sakura's side, waiting for her to attack. He didn't have to wait long as Sakura sprang into the air with a few spinning kicks.  
  
"Shunpukyaku!" she called the name of her attack and even though she delivered her attack, Darrell blocked. After a while, both took a short breather.  
  
"Okay. that. was. good." Sakura managed to breathe out. She used her hand to wipe the small sweat off of her forehead.  
  
"Yeah.but it is time that I took it a step forward." He dropped into his fighting stance. "Now, are you ready to spar, Sakura?"  
  
She nodded and got herself ready. "Sure! Now the real training starts!" she exclaimed. Once again, the two stood each other down, but this time Darrell gave the first attack. He hopped forward into the air towards Sakura. She was expecting a jump kick and responded with a high block. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Darrell bent down while landing and swept Sakura off her feet. She got up quickly and responded with a shorter version of her Shouoken. Darrell ditched and punched Sakura hard in the side of the head.  
  
A little dazed, Sakura managed to see Darrell motion for his next attack. He pulled his hands to his side and a blue ball of energy formed.  
  
"Hadouken!" Darrell thrusted his arms forward and fired his energy at Sakura. She quickly shook of the dizziness and fired her own Hadouken to cancel it out. A small explosion of energy came about. Sakura looked into it the see if Darrell was there or not. Her worries were answered as Darrell came rushing though the smoke, his right hand on fire. Sakura knew what this was.  
  
"Shakunetsuken!" Darrell roared loudly as he fired blow after blow of flaming energy onto Sakura, who managed to block all of them. It was a straining effort.  
  
{Darrell's Shakunetsuken is hotter than it looks,} she thought while warding him off. {He spars just with as much intensity as a real fight. I'd better do the same.}  
  
Sakura found in an opening in Darrell's attacks and hit him out of it with a fierce punch to his face. Instantly, Darrell lost his momentum and the flame on his fist extinguished.  
  
"Damn!' he cursed. He held his cheek, just like he did in the park yesterday caused by Sakura's Midare Zakura. He shook his head and then looked at Sakura.  
  
"No one ever did that before." he said, astonished. Then he said his favorite quote about Sakura. "I said it before and I'll say it again. no one throws a punch like Sakura Kasugano." Then he reiterated the words, "No one."  
  
This made Sakura blush a bit. "Thanks. It is one of my talents. Now, let's finish."  
  
----- -----  
  
After another 10 minutes of sparring, the two warriors came into the house to eat breakfast. Once again, Sakura's family was sound asleep, so they tried to not make any commotion. As Darrell washed his face and hands in the bathroom, Sakura started cooking in the kitchen eggs and some American pancakes that Darrell had brought with him. She had to go out on a limb, since the directions, not surprisingly, were in English.  
  
{NO problem,} she thought. She started preparing the food. "I think I did something like this at school. He'll sure be surprised."  
  
After a long while, the sound of running water from the bathroom ceased and Darrell came out, wiping his now bare hands with a towel.  
  
"All right," he said to himself. "That brought back the spark in me. I bet if I fought that android again, he won't even touch me! Hey. wait a minute." His nose caught onto a sweet smelling aroma; something that screamed, "Hello. My name is 'food' and you can eat me now."  
  
Sakura had just finished her work in the kitchen when Darrell appeared in the walkway. "Guess what? I smell food!" he said sing-songingly.  
  
Sakura turned to him with a grin. "Well, we worked up a sweat. and burned up some energy. I might as well cook a little something for us." She held up the box of pancake mix. "I found this in the bag that you carried."  
  
Darrell raised an eyebrow. "How. or where did you find that? I was sorta looking for that bag after I put it down."  
  
"That has nothing to do with it," she answered, the grin widening. "Just try this out. I added a little something special in the mix. You haven't tasted anything like it!"  
  
Darrell sat down simultaneously with his friend and looked at the plate in front of him. "I don't see anything different." he murmured, his voice barely audible. He took a bit of the pancake and started chewing.  
  
One chew. two chews. BAM! Darrell was hit with a sensation of flavor that he had never tasted before. He swallowed, and then looked up at Sakura, who was still concentrating eating. "Whoa! I don't believe this! Sakura. what in the world did you put in this?"  
  
Sakura smiled once again. "I can't tell you that. That is a family secret."  
  
"Maybe I should fly here every day for breakfast. Sakura, you make IHOP look like an amateur shop. Whatever you did, I absolutely love it!"  
  
Sakura absorbed Darrell's compliments. It really put a spark into her flame, so to speak. The two resumed eating, but shortly afterwards, Sakura stopped. "Hey, Darrell."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I just had this feeling. that we're being watched."  
  
"Huh? Are you sure?"  
  
Sakura paused. The malice that she felt earlier vanished. "Oh, never mind. I'm worrying too much."  
  
----- -----  
  
Just outside the Kasugano residence, a figure stood holding some sort of device in his hand. His eyes focused on the two teenagers in the house's kitchen. "Hmmm. that little match they had with each other was an excellent source of data. Now, for the other girl."  
  
----- -----  
  
Hinata Wakaba was, just like her two friends, was spending the new morning training in her backyard.  
  
{Man, I can't believe that I got walloped like that. Looks like I still have work to do.}  
  
She was standing in front of a large punching bag that her uncle had given her a few years ago when she started leaning martial arts. Hinata struck the bag with rapid punches and kicks. She then backed up from the bag and gathered some of her energy. A small green aura surrounded her body and she shot her open hand forward. "Kikou Shoueti!" A large energy flower appeared in her palm, hitting the bag multiple times before she stopped, since it started to rip.  
  
She stepped away from the bag. It wouldn't have been the first time she busted open a training bag. She had to purposely hold back. then she had a thought.  
  
{In a real fight, I can't hold back. I could be seriously hurt.}  
  
After a pause, Hinata had another thought.  
  
{Maybe Sakura could help.}  
  
----- -----  
  
"So, you want to spar too?" Sakura asked her long time friend. "That's no problem. Darrell and I were just doing that."  
  
Sakura and Darrell reentered her backyard to find Hinata waiting at the gate. Hinata let them know how she felt concerning yesterday. Being knocked silly in one swipe was pretty depressing, but Darrell explained the assumption of the strange man being a cybernetic being. It could be possible.  
  
"So basically, I got tired of my self training and decided to let loose here." Hinata explained, her eyes screamed anxiety.  
  
Sakura nodded. She had that experience of having to hold back her talents. Hell, she went once went a full month without doing a single training exercise. but she really didn't want to go into that.  
  
"Darrell, you don't mind if we do a little sparring, do you?" Sakura asked.  
  
Darrell was actually eager to see this. "No problem! I might just be able to learn some techniques. You know, I have only been into the martial arts for a short time."  
  
Both Sakura and Hinata looked puzzled. At first, everyone thought that Darrell had been through a load of training, maybe about 7 of his 16 years on Earth. And looking at his advanced attacks, he could have fooled anyone of being an adopted son of Ken Masters, even though they weren't in traditional Shotokan style. In truth, Darrell had only been training for about 3 years, and informally at that. It was mostly self-taught. Not even he knows why his style is mistaken for the normal Shotokan, especially since he have very little traces of Tae Kwon Do in his style. The only real links are his ability to throw a Hadouken (he doesn't say how he learned it), and a Shinku Hadouken (which Sakura herself taught him) which he had upgraded to the powerful Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken somehow.  
  
He had used the Rekka Kakkura yesterday, and last year, he showed a move called the Furi-sutairu Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku. It looked like a much weaker version of Ryu's normal Hurricane Kick, but when you get hit by it. well, the two starting roundhouse kicks look like Chun-Li's old Senretsukyaku then he goes into a long Hurricane Kick. Him actually looking for new ideas would be pretty good considering the way he modifies them.  
  
"Okay, you two," Darrell said, his arms were crossed. "We're not getting any younger."  
  
Hinata smiled at Sakura for a while before entering her fighting stance. "All right, Sakura. Playtime has ended! Are you ready?"  
  
Sakura answered by getting into her stance. "Here we go again!" Unlike the Sakura/Darrell bout, these two wasted no time and instantly started their battle. Hinata opened up with a special move.  
  
"Enbukyaku!" She hit an unsuspecting Sakura with a rising knee then delivered three swift burning kicks. Of course, Sakura was set aflame momentarily before dropping to the ground. Sakura took a while to recover, but when she did she got ready again. "You got a free hit, Hinata, but this time. I'm serious!"  
  
Sakura got close to Hinata, then the two exchanged blows and blocks. Darrell was looking on as he was barely able to keep up with the pace of the two. He managed to see Sakura dodge a few of Hinata's jabs, then return with a small Shunpukyaku. Hinata was knocked away, but saved herself from falling. Darrell sensed a large burst of power coming from Hinata. It felt very familiar, but he decided to not interfere with the girls' sparring. The idea of a fight was to predict your opponent's movements by yourself. That is only one of the thrills of a street fight. or any fight for that matter.  
  
{She's using the Hisshou Rengakiken,} he said to himself and sure enough that's what Hinata used.  
  
Hinata rushed forward and started to deliver the first of many punches, but Sakura already saw the dash and before Hinata could punch Sakura ducked down.  
  
"Haru Ichiban!" Sakura swept at Hinata's legs with low spinning kicks, all of them totally connecting and knocking Hinata out of her move before Sakura kicked her away with a powerful roundhouse kick. Hinata hit the ground hard, but got up as quickly as possible while Sakura closed in. Sakura swept at Hinata again, but was quickly hit out of the kick when Hinata raised her foot high into the air and slammed it on the top of Sakura's head.  
  
Darrell winced at the impact as a hard 'CRACK!' noise arouse.  
  
{That HAD to hurt.}  
  
Sakura's face was literally planted into the grass and stayed like that for quite some time. Hinata let out a gasp and bent down to see about her friend. "Sakura! Are you okay!? I'm sorry! I didn't know I kicked you so hard!"  
  
Sakura twitched a bit then did something unsuspected; she sprung up to her feet so fast that Hinata couldn't even get her guard up in time.  
  
"Midare Zakura!" Sakura yelled out as she rushed at a surprised Hinata and began to unleash her assault, but.  
  
"Oh, no you don't, Sakura. Hisshou!" Hinata didn't waste as much time as the previous time and started her barrage faster. Unfortunately.  
  
POW!  
  
The sound of Sakura's red handguards and Hinata's orange handguards hitting their mark could be heard throughout the yard. Both girls' punches landed straight in the other's cheeks. They stayed that way for a moment, staring at each other with intensity before Hinata backed away. Since Sakura was putting her weight into the punch, she stumbled forward, right into Hinata's lunging punch to the face.  
  
Sakura let out a yelp and fell backwards, holding her face with one of her hands, leaving herself open to a double armed cyclone uppercut from her friend.  
  
"Moutei!" she yelled out while landing her Shouyouken, hitting Sakura into the air. Hinata dashed under her to follow up with an attack, but Sakura flipped in mid-air and blocked while descending. Sakura landed and ducked Hinata's next kick and performed a small uppercut that hit the chest. Hinata didn't get fazed that much as she immediately kicked her sparring partner away.  
  
Sakura recovered then starting charging her next attack. Hinata stood her ground and got into a defensive stance.  
  
"All right. Hadouken!" She let her blue energy blast go right towards Hinata, who, for some reason, dropped her stance.  
  
{I have an idea.}  
  
{What is she doing?} Sakura asked herself. {Doesn't she know that she'll get hit?}  
  
Hinata stepped forward to Sakura's blast, her body wrapped in a green aura and her hand open behind her.  
  
{This is new.} Darrell acknowledged.  
  
"Kikou Shoueti!" Hinata shot her hand forward and emitted a flower like energy explosion from her hand. It collided with the Hadouken and immediately canceled out.  
  
{Man!} Darrell thought again. {These girls have been sparring longer than I did with Sakura. I don't need to work on my moves that much. I need to build my stamina. Even if I get hit. I'll be able to take whatever my opponent throws at me.}  
  
------ -----  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
"Yes, mom?"  
  
"Do you have any idea where your friend is? He isn't in his bedroom."  
  
"He isn't?"  
  
"No. what could he be doing at 10:00 P.M.? It is literally pitch black."  
  
Sakura sat up in her bed. "Wait a minute, mom. I think I. hear him. He's. outside?"  
  
Sakura jumped out of her bed and moved towards her window. As she looked outside to the ground below, she couldn't help but look surprised. There was the American, rushing across the now dark blue grass, using the Shakunetsuken to punch furiously into the air. He let out yell after yell as he performed a backhand, and then went into a straight punch with the other fist, then a short, spinning hop kick, followed by a flaming uppercut. He continued to throw random attacks, pushing his body to the limit as Sakura watched.  
  
{Is he. training now? He's trying harder than he did before!}  
  
Darrell finished his self sparring and stood up straight, staring into the air.  
  
{That. was good. ugh, ahh!}  
  
His legs gave out from under him and his body fell to its hands and knees. Darrell found himself facing the grass, breathing hard.  
  
{How long was that.? 10. 15 minutes.? It's getting better. Better rest now.} He picked himself up and headed into Sakura's house.  
  
End of Chapter 4 


	5. Frieghtning Dreams

5. Frightening Dreams  
  
{Huh? What the.? Where the heck am I? This is creepy.}  
  
The room was so dark. Darrell found himself in a tremendously dark room, although he could see fine. He was wearing blue jeans with a white tee shirt and his trademark blue handguards.  
  
{What am. I doing here?}  
  
"Your strength. Prove it against me. NOW!"  
  
The voice was so. evil. Darrell took a step backwards.  
  
"Who is that?" he asked out loud. His voice was very shaky when he asked that question, and he knew that. He tried to maintain his composure, but it was hard.  
  
POW!  
  
Darrell got sent to the ground with a strong punch to the face. He couldn't even see who attacked or where he came from. He wiped his face with a handguard, which started to bleed a bit.  
  
{Damn! I-}  
  
Darrell got cut off and sent to the ground with another punch, this time from behind. He hit the ground face first.  
  
"You can't sense which way I'm coming," the voice said again. Its voice was so cold it sent chills through his body. "Without that, you can't defeat me!"  
  
Darrell struggled to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. "Okay, now I'm pissed!"  
  
He braced himself, his blue aura forming quickly around him then it changed to red-orange.  
  
{If I'm quiet, maybe I can tell which way he's coming by hearing him.} Everything was quiet as Darrell started to form his defense stance. Nothing happened for a good minute or two.  
  
{This doesn't make any sense. I could have sworn I was being attacked.} He let his guard down for a quick second. Unfortunately, that is all he needed to do.  
  
"You're pathetic!"  
  
{The voice. It's coming from.}  
  
Darrell's eyes widened.  
  
{BEHIND!!} He spun around and came face to face with a completely dark figure with scary, blood red eyes and hair that stood straight upwards. He was literally staring down on Darrell, paralyzing him with the fear of eyes.  
  
"Now you die."  
  
If it was possible, Darrell's eyes widened even more.  
  
{I.}  
  
The figure grabbed him then everything faded from Darrell's eyesight. All he could see is black. and all he could feel was pain. Tremendous, hot pain. The next thing he knew, Darrell was on the ground, blood and wounds covering his body. Through his hardly open eyes, he could see the figure's back, with a huge, red kanji letter on his back.  
  
{D-d-d.damn y-you.}  
  
Then his eyes closed.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Sakura."  
  
{What? What do you want?}  
  
"Sakura. show me."  
  
{What do you want me to do? Where are you?}  
  
Sakura was in an empty space. There was no ground, no surroundings. just air. She was just standing on nothing. A voice had been calling for her. One that sounded so. familiar that Sakura tried to guess who it is.  
  
"Is this.," she asked carefully, "Ryu?"  
  
"Yes. Sakura, it's me. I. need for you. to show. me your true power."  
  
"But where are you? I can't see you!"  
  
"I'm here.. Please show me."  
  
Sakura turned her head to the left and saw a man in the distance. His white gi seemed to shine in the distance.  
  
"I'm coming, Ryu!" Before she knew it, she started to run. Her steps echoed in the silence of the abyss. "This is it, Ryu!"  
  
As she got closer, Ryu's gi started to fade. It was a shining white then it slowly went to a light gray.  
  
{Ryu. what's happening to your gi? It's darkening.}  
  
She got within a few steps of her idol, panting a bit. When she looked up, her mouth seemed to drop at the sight that she saw.  
  
"But this is.!"  
  
The man that seemed to be Ryu looked like Ryu, but the gi's color was a very dark bluish-gray. His skin tone was also darker, and the scariest thing about this figure was the fact that his eyes were completely red. Dark red.  
  
"RYU!!!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs. This was what she really didn't want to see. It was Evil Ryu.  
  
"Now." he started, pointing a finger at Sakura, "your true power. shall be released."  
  
Sakura's body seemed to feel like it was being stretched outward.  
  
{What is. this? I feel. so strange.}  
  
Before her, an image appeared out of her body. It turned its attention to the girl and Sakura was even more stupefied at this being. It was her. but the skin color was much darker and the clothes were mostly black.  
  
"Welcome," Evil Ryu's words came into a delusional Sakura's ears. "Welcome. Dark Sakura."  
  
"Dark. Sakura?" Sakura managed to mouth out.  
  
{This is so. bizarre and freighting. and. why do I feel. as if. I'll. pass out.?}  
  
Sakura dropped to her knees. Her body was losing energy. Struggling, she lifted her head to see her double step over her. Her eyes were emotionless.  
  
She scoffed. "And to believe that I was in your body. You're weak." And with that, she struck Sakura so hard and fast in the back of the head that she instantly was knocked out.  
  
----- -----  
  
Darrell sat up in his bed in a cold sweat, gasping for air. He stared at the wall in front of him, then to the window to his right. then he raised his right hand to his face.  
  
"A dream." he mouthed quietly. "Just a dream. but it felt so real."  
  
He just sat there for a good 5 minutes. That guy. whoever that was. was so good at fighting that he made Darrell look as if he was standing still. It ended so quickly. then his stomach started to heave.  
  
Darrell started to groan softly while holding his stomach. "Okay, that's the last time I train that late. Okay. okay. I think I'm fine now."  
  
He was just about to lay back down when a blood-curling scream rose through the air.  
  
{That HAD to be Sakura.}  
  
Reacting on instincts, he jumped out of the bed and rushed to Sakura's bedroom.  
  
----- -----  
  
"NOOO!!!" Sakura shot up out of her bed and onto the floor. She pressed her back on her dresser and started breathing hard, trying to calm down.  
  
"Sakura? Sakura! Are you okay? It's me, Darrell! Let me know if you're okay!"  
  
That was him. He was knocking on the bedroom door, trying to get to Sakura. She took a minute to relax and made her way to the door and opened it. On the other side was Darrell's worried face.  
  
"I heard you scream. You woke up the whole house. Everything okay with you?"  
  
Sakura just stared at him. {Should I tell him? No. He'll just think I'm crazy.}  
  
Sakura sighed. "Nothing, nothing," she responded. Somehow, she knew that he wouldn't buy that, and he didn't.  
  
"It couldn't be 'nothing'. Let me guess. you had a nightmare too, didn't you?"  
  
He hit the nail right on the coffin. Sakura lowered her head to the carpet.  
  
"It was just. Ryu. He was in his evil form. and he pulled out what looked like my dark side from my body. She took me out." She was sobbing throughout her sentence. She raised her eyes to see Darrell again, expecting some type of ridicule. Instead, he just gave her a concerned look.  
  
"I had a dream almost like that," he said. His voice was shaken up and his eyes no longer made contact with Sakura's. They aimed to the side. "Some guy in a black gi and blood red eyes.. He. he."  
  
He dropped to his knees and Sakura followed, staring at the top of his head since he was now looking at the floor.  
  
"HE KILLED ME, SAKURA!!" he finally busted, totally shaken up now. Sakura put a hand on his back for comfort.  
  
{Looks like he had a worse one,} she thought. {He's practically spooked! It sort of makes me feel better. knowing that someone has it worse than me.}  
  
Darrell must have come to his senses as he stopped sobbing and looked up into Sakura's face. He gasped and jumped away from her. Both of them sweatdropped.  
  
{Did I just.?} Darrell thought, totally embarrassed about his actions. {Why did I DO that?!}  
  
"I'm. sorry, Sakura," he mumbled. "I got carried away."  
  
Sakura smiled nervously. "At least you made me feel better. There's nothing to be sorry about."  
  
"What in the world is going on, Sakura?"  
  
In a hallway behind Sakura was a young boy, roughly ten or eleven, with black hair similar to Sakura's and a pair of Spider-Man pajamas. If Sakura was younger, shorter, and a boy, that is what her younger brother, Tsukushi, would look like.  
  
"It's nothing, Tsukushi. Just a little nightmare," Sakura replied.  
  
"You. had nightmares.?"  
  
"Like I said, it's nothing."  
  
"Whatever you say, Sakura," he said, his glaze turned to the visitor. "Oh, hi, Darrell."  
  
Darrell didn't respond automatically. He just kindly looked at Sakura's little brother. He pointed his fingers at Tsukushi in some somewhat cool pose.  
  
"Heyyy, Tsukushi!" he answered. Tsukushi just stared back with an eyebrow raised.  
  
"Yeah., well, Sakura, I'm going back to bed. See you in the morning." Tsukushi turned the corner back to his room. When the door closed, Darrell broke his pose and turned back to Sakura.  
  
"Why do you always do that to my brother?" Sakura asked skeptically.  
  
Darrell returned with a smile. "I can't resist. Well, I guess everything is back to normal. I'm going to hit the sack."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Do you have the info in our three. subjects?"  
  
"Do I? I just managed to catch them while they were in the middle of sparring. I got a large amount of data right here on their fighting styles, personality, likes, dislikes."  
  
"Okay, don't go crazy. This will be more than enough. Now, let's finish the preparations."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Hyah!"  
  
"Not bad. Now, try it again. Try to make it faster."  
  
"All right. Hyah!"  
  
"That's more like it!"  
  
Darrell was practicing his Senpukyaku, a hopping spin kick. Sakura was monitoring him in the backyard again. The sky had a few clouds in it, and the afternoon was pretty windy and brisk. Hinata was standing by, watching the American show his stuff again. They would start sparring again once after he got his move under wraps. He had been using this move for years, but he wanted to increase the speed of the kick. It was originally supposed to be slow, but for some reason, he wanted a fast maneuver. No one seemed to argue.  
  
Darrell wiped the sweat of his forehead. "Okay, Sakura. I'm about to try my extension moves with the Senpukyaku. What about this?"  
  
Darrell hopped again, twirled his body, and brought his leg out, just like the other times. This time, when he landed, he kept spinning and unleashed an uppercut, then a spinning sweep kick.  
  
"Nice," Sakura commented. "That was right on the mark. Now, let Hinata and me spar with each other again while you rest."  
  
Darrell started to walk to where Hinata was.  
  
"All right! Round 2, coming up after a word from our sponsor," he said gleefully, putting his hands in his jean pockets. He was about to say something else, but he got cut off by a familiar voice.  
  
"Sorry, but there won't be a 'Round 2'."  
  
The trio turned to the backyard gate where no other than Sho was standing at. His arms were crossed and an evil smirk on his face.  
  
"How did you get here!?" Sakura demanded.  
  
"Don't worry about that, beautiful," Sho responded. "What you SHOULD be worried about is me! I'm here for my revenge!"  
  
Darrell was fixing his handguards again. His eyes were insanely serious. "You don't know when to quit, do you?" he asked as he entered his fighting stance. "This time, you are going DOWN!"  
  
Darrell's red-orange aura came back around his body. He held his fist out in front of his face.  
  
"Shakunetsuken!!" he bellowed as his fist shot into flames. He looked at Sho, who still had his smile on his face. "I'll wipe that smirk off your face."  
  
Sho laughed. "I admit that when I first saw you guys, I was a little scared. but now I know all of your moves. You don't stand a chance."  
  
Darrell started dashing towards his foe. "Well, we'll just see about that!" He got within range then moved to the side of Sho, expecting him to attack. Sho did just the opposite; he just stood there.  
  
{He isn't moving. Does he want me to feed him my fist? Oh, well.}  
  
"This is it!" Darrell said out loud as he wound up and delivered a burning punch to Sho's cheek. He reeled from the blow, just to be beamed by a Senpukyaku combination attack, also hitting his target. Sho hit the ground and slowly got back up. Once again, he met Darrell's burning fist.  
  
"Rekka. NAKKURA!!" Darrell severely damaged Sho with an insanely fast punching combination, then the uppercut, knocking Sho into the air, followed with an air combo. As he handed the pummeling, he yelled out, "Here, Sakura! Hit him with you-know-what!"  
  
Darrell smashed Sho to where Sakura was, who was charging up her energy. A large blue ball of energy showed in her hands.  
  
"This is for Kei. Shinku Hadouken!" Sakura blasted upwards, hitting Sho right in the back. While he was being hit by the Shinku Hadouken, she yelled at Hinata. "Finish this, Hinata!"  
  
"Right! Now this one is for the other day! Yah!" Hinata jumped into the air and connected her Resen Enbukyaku. Sho's back was murdered by Hinata's burning kicks. After five hits, Hinata dropped to the ground. along with Sho's tattered body. Darrell stood over Sho's shaking body, along with his two friends and spat at the ground.  
  
"That was all too easy. Now you see. your actions came back to haunt you, Sho. I don't know what to do with you now. Maybe the police would like to hold you."  
  
Sho coughed a few times and muttered, "You. still don't. get it.?  
  
"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked the wounded man.  
  
"You'll see. Hyah!" Suddenly, Sho jerked his head and right hand up at the three. A burst of energy emitted from his body.  
  
"Hey!" Sakura yelped. She seemed to struggle a bit, but her body didn't move. "I. can't move, guys!"  
  
"You are not the only one! What did you do?!" Hinata demanded.  
  
"It is pretty obvious, isn't it? I froze your bodies. But that's not all."  
  
"What?" Darrell spoke.  
  
"You see, what I did was not only freeze your bodies, but. I also put a knockout element in the move."  
  
"WHAT?!" all three fighters belted out. Before they could let out another word, all the energy that was stored in their bodies seemed to just evaporate and replaced with enormous pain. The trio let out loud moans before falling to the ground, knocked out. Sho slowly stood up and stared at the fighters.  
  
"Finally, they passed out. The things I do for Shadowloo. but I accomplished the mission. Now, to get these guys to the base."  
  
End of Chapter 5 


	6. Potential Unlocked

6. Potential Unlocked  
  
Hinata slowly started to wake up. The moment she opened her eyes, she was hit with a terrible headache, causing her to wince in pain.  
  
{This is so ridiculous.,} she thought to herself as she forced herself to sit up. When she did, the headache worsened, not to mentioned that she couldn't even lift an arm. or anything else but her head.  
  
Hinata was strapped down to a long table in a sliver room wallpapered with a logo of a skull with wings. She could hear electronics whirling nearby and random chatter.  
  
{What am I doing here? Or better yet, where am I?}  
  
Hinata looked to her right and her jaw dropped in shock. There was another two tables in the room, each containing Sakura and Darrell, who were still unconscious. She was totally speechless at this turn of events.  
  
{Just what in the world is going on here?!}  
  
"Well, at least one of the pretties is awake now. the fun can begin!"  
  
"Sho." she muttered under her breath. "Just the last person for me to see right now."  
  
A door to the right of Hinata swung open, and in stepped in Sho, grin intact. "What does it take to get rid of you?" Hinata asked out loud.  
  
"Frankly, a lot. Now, I just will wake up these guys here." Sho walked up to Sakura and whacked her across her sleeping face with a strong punch. Sakura instantly woke up, disorientated.  
  
"Hu-wha. How did. Hey, what is going on here?!" She was obviously confused on the whole matter. After a while, she finally realized what was going on. She tried to break the leather straps, but she didn't have any luck.  
  
"Come on now, beautiful," Sho said. "Do you really think that you'll be able to break those straps? You'll have a better time jumping out of an airplane into a volcano. Now, for the boy."  
  
Just like Sakura, Sho smashed Darrell in the head with a punch, but he came to his senses slowly.  
  
"Geez." he said weakly, "I hate waking up like this."  
  
He looked up just to see Sho's face. Any sort of fatigue that was in Darrell's body vanished. "Why you. just wait until I get my hands on you, Sho. I swear I'll tear you a new one!"  
  
He motioned his body to get his hands on Sho's throat, but Sho just laughed at him as saw that he was strapped and couldn't hurt him.  
  
Sho turned away from the three to the front of the room. "Now, boys and girls, this is why you are here. A long story short, my boss was weakened by a fight with a certain someone, and he's looking for a source of energy or two to help him reboot, sort to speak. He has been watching you guys very closely. and congrats! You have been elected to have your very energy sucked out of your bodies for our boss! Isn't that just lovely?"  
  
"Well," Sakura started, "why don't you put yourself in our shoes, eh? You just been knocked out cold by some stupid spell and brought to some lab or something like that to have your energy taken away from you for some guy you don't even know. You tell me if that is 'lovely' or not."  
  
Sho put a hand on his chin. "You know, now that you think about it, it isn't very pretty. But hey! Someone has to do it! Now, to begin."  
  
Sho turned around to a panel on the far wall and pushed a few buttons. A loud whirling could be heard throughout the room.  
  
"So, just how are you going to do this, Sho?" Darrell asked. "I don't see some giant laser coming from the ceiling, you know."  
  
"Please, spare me your witty remarks." Sho stopped pressing buttons and turned around to the captives. "But there is a way to suck that vitality out of you." He chuckled a bit and continued. "Those tables you are strapped to aren't just for show. They'll be sucking your energy out."  
  
"No way!" Hinata cut Sho off with her surprised remark, but he continued.  
  
"Right. about. NOW!!"  
  
Instantaneously with Sho's words, a huge electrical current went through the tables to the trio, shocking them at the same time. Their screams came natural to the pain, but what wasn't natural was the fact that their auras began to show, all of them were a white blue color, and they began to shrink.  
  
"That's right," Sho said gleefully. "All of the vigor. comes to me!" He was getting his revenge. He loved the sight of seeing the kids that gave him such a hard time in the last few days screaming in pain. He started to laugh manically.  
  
{No.} Darrell heard himself say in his head throughout the pain. His very strength was being stripped from him, but somehow, through his friends' yelps, he could hear himself. {I can't let them. take my energy. I worked so hard. to get my skills up. I won't. let. them.}  
  
He managed to see his friends' auras get smaller. His eyes closed, holding his rage.  
  
{I won't. give up my own energy. or my friends.} His rage built to a height that it never got before. Not even while fighting Hyo himself.  
  
{NEVER!!!!}  
  
He lost himself in his rage and he let out a loud, long scream, catching Sho's attention. "What the.!?"  
  
Sho saw the American's aura change from blue to hot red-orange. Not only that, but it got bigger. It started from just around his body, but when he finished his rage power-up, it literally consumed his table. With almost little effort, Darrell broke through the straps that bonded him.  
  
"SHO!!!" he roared as he jumped onto the floor, already in Shakunetsuken form, and smashed Sho in the face so fast that Sho couldn't even take a step backwards. Sho's body was instantly engulfed in flames. Darrell didn't stop there. He instantly went into his most used super.  
  
"REKKA NAKKURA!!!"  
  
This version was much faster than the first and second ones, and Sho was screaming for dear life as his body burned. Before anyone knew it, Sho was on the floor, unconscious, and Darrell took this time to ram his burning fists into the control panel, causing it to short circuit. The straps on Sakura and Hinata were released and the girls got off the tables.  
  
"Are you guys okay?" Darrell asked. His back was to them, his tone was still pretty angry, and his eyes were on the door that locked them in.  
  
"Yeah. the short circuit returned our energy." Sakura stepped to Darrell. For some strange reason, her energy, which was already back were it belonged, seemed to rise even more. "Hey. what is with my aura.?"  
  
Both Hinata and Darrell looked at Sakura. Her light blue aura was getting larger, just like Darrell's. So was Hinata's bluish-green aura. "Wow. Darrell. I think you are. giving us a boost."  
  
"That's nice to hear. but." Without warning, Darrell charged up his energy in his hands.  
  
"SHAKUNETSU SHINKU HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
The door gave way to Darrell's blast and melted within 10 seconds.  
  
"Let's go!" Darrell yelled out. "We are going to have to find a way out of here!"  
  
The three ran out of the room and into a corridor. As they ran, Sakura was busy thinking about Darrell.  
  
{He is so much more serious now. could it be his aura change? And my increase. is that from him?}  
  
They turned a corner and broke down another corridor, passing doors and laboratories. Hinata's head was frantically moving from left to right, looking for a possible exit.  
  
"Come on." she murmured. "There has got to be a way out."  
  
"Stop right there!"  
  
Ahead of the trio were about 10 security guards, most of them with guns, blocking the way.  
  
"Come on!" Sakura groaned while they stopped. "Do we get a break in this place?"  
  
"All right, you three." the head officer started. "Just calm down. We are not going to do anything rash now. Now. just follow us. and we'll try to get you out of here as quickly as we can."  
  
Darrell got into his fighting stance but quickly got out of it. "You guys are lucky. I never start a fight without my handguards. My friends here." Darrell stopped for a second, put on his blue handguards and continued. ".are all ready for battle. AND SO AM I!!"  
  
Darrell's aura reached a new height and he rushed to the guards. On instinct, those whom had weapons drew them. "Okay men, on my--- oof!"  
  
The head guard didn't even see Darrell's movements and paid for it with Darrell striking his elbow into the stomach. Just like Sho, his body erupted into flames.  
  
"Yaaaah!" Darrell kicked his dummy away and yelled, "Sakura! Hinata! I need for you to back me up!"  
  
"No problem!" Sakura yelled back. She was already charging forward, along with Hinata. All at once, a Rekka Nakkura, a Midare Zakura, and a Hisshou Rengakiken pummeled the whole guard force.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Ugh. those three kids. such pests!"  
  
A man stood up from his luxury chair. His frame was pretty slim but muscular. Everything else was hidden in darkness. He had been watching the group plow through Shadowloo's defenses through the multiple monitors in the room and was growing tired.  
  
"Looks like I'll have to go down there myself."  
  
----- -----  
  
"I think I found a way out!" Hinata called out as she and her friends reached a huge metal door. Darrell approached it and put a hand on his chin.  
  
"Well, it is too big for me to punch a hole through it by myself." he noticed.  
  
Sakura stepped up to the door and knocked on it a few times with her hand. After a few seconds, she turned to Darrell. "What if we fired out Shinku Hadoukens at the same time and space? It could puncture a hole big enough."  
  
"Sounds like a plan." The two got into their Hadouken stances.  
  
"Shinku."  
  
"Shakunetsu."  
  
They built their energy into the two small spheres of energy; Darrell's being red and Sakura's being light blue.  
  
"Hadouk-"  
  
"Shink-"  
  
Both of the fighters stopped charging when the metal door started to open on its own.  
  
"I must admit that you are very skilled to get this far and accomplish so much. but I cannot let you go out of here with that vigor. Sakura Kasugano.. Darrell Goodson. Hinata Wakaba."  
  
"Hey! Who's there?" Hinata asked to the mysterious voice as the doors opened fully.  
  
After the metal clang of the doors, the trio found themselves outside the building that they were being held captive at. In front of them was a man in a red military uniform similar to Hyo's, only he had on silver metal plates on his shoulders and legs and a red hat with a gold skull with wings symbol. His eyes were hidden behind the hat and his arms were folded.  
  
"My name is Bison, the leader of Shadowloo." he introduced himself.  
  
There was no reply from the group.  
  
"As you already know, I need your energy. There is no way you will be leaving this place until then. Either you give it up to me, or you die. It is up to you."  
  
"So you are the pin jockey that wants our energy, eh? I don't know how you know our names, and frankly I don't care now. Sorry to disappoint you, but you are not getting this." Darrell's eyes read seriousness again. "You are going to have to beat it out of us."  
  
"I'll have no problem doing that."  
  
Bison unfolded his arms and stood in some type of fighting stance. Darrell fixed his fighting gloves and prepared for battle, but Hinata stepped towards Bison.  
  
"Hey.! What are you doing?" Darrell asked while looking up to Hinata. "I'll take him on for you guys."  
  
"No." Hinata responded. She stopped about a foot away from Bison. "I want to fight him. I guess that after seeing you guys perform. I want some action for myself."  
  
{Well, this isn't like Hinata.} Sakura thought to herself.  
  
Bison let out a chuckle. "It doesn't matter. Either way, all you energy will belong to me."  
  
"If I remember correctly." Hinata started, ".your lackey said that you were weakened in a fight sometime ago. You shouldn't take on an opponent if you aren't 100%, you know."  
  
"You should really think about yourselves."  
  
Hinata saw Bison soar into the air and went defensive. Bison didn't come down for some time.  
  
{How did he get that much airtime?}  
  
"Hinata!" Sakura called her friend. "He's right behind you!"  
  
"Huh?!" Hinata gasped as she whirled around and saw a fist grab her shirt. Bison chucked her over his shoulder and Hinata recovered. Before she could recover completely, Bison flipped forward with an overhead heel kick, planting her face into the ground.  
  
"Come on." Darrell said silently as Hinata got to her feet again. Bison stood right in front of Hinata with his arms folded. Hinata tried a Rengakiken, a barrage of punches followed by a sphere of energy, but Bison just disappeared right in front of her eyes.  
  
"Hey.!" Hinata looked behind her, just incase he was there again.  
  
"Here I am, fool!" Bison shouted from above. Hinata looked too late. Bison planted his boots right on Hinata's head, dazing her for about a quick second. He then jumped off into the air, but luckily Hinata recovered just in time.  
  
"That's it! Hisshou!" Hinata geared up and ran right where Bison landed and unloaded a pack of powerful punches before ending it with her Shouyouken, sending Bison back where he came from, the air.  
  
Bison flipped out of his drop and responded with dashing towards Hinata, his fist glowing with some sort of purple, dark energy.  
  
"What the." Darrell looked at Bison. "What type of aura is that?"  
  
"Oh no you don't! Enbukyaku!" Hinata jumped into the air and unleashed three flaming spin kicks in a row. As the two got closer, Darrell noticed a strong burst of energy coming from Bison.  
  
{And Sho said he was wounded. Please! He's pumping energy even.}  
  
Something hit him at that point.  
  
{He can't hide that from me! He is stronger than he claims to be!}  
  
Darrell covered him mouth for his voice to project clearly. "Hinata! You have to pull out! He's going to cream you!"  
  
"I can't stop now, Darrell! I got him!" Hinata fired the last kick of her Enbukyaku. then the worst possible thing happened. Bison ducked the kick.  
  
"Psycho Punish!" The energy fist hit Hinata just as she was landing, burning her in purple flames. Then the other punched her away.  
  
{Psycho. energy.?} Darrell's mind put together the name of Bison's power. It was more powerful than any normal energy, yet it is so dark. Evil.  
  
"Those were NOT normal flames." Sakura looked at her friend with a worried expression as Hinata rose up to face Bison again. She was noticeably slow to getting up this time, partly because of Bison's attacks, and partly because of planning her next move.  
  
{Okay, he has speed, power. but what about endurance? If I constantly attack him, then he'll have to be hit a few times. And if I make those hits count. and maybe if these two can help me.}  
  
"Bison!" she said out loud. "I'm going to get you this time!"  
  
"Stubborn child." he muttered. "Don't you know when you are outclassed?"  
  
"I haven't even started." Hinata got into her stance again, just as Bison's body started to become consumed with the purple aura.  
  
"This wasn't much of a fight. so I'll end this quickly. PSYCHO CRUSHER!!"  
  
Bison drove his body forward like a torpedo, spinning around with energy surrounding him. Hinata braced herself as Bison approached. Just as Bison closed in for the hit, Hinata screamed, "Sakura!! You know what to do!"  
  
Darrell turned to Sakura, who was already running toward the battle. "What the."  
  
Hinata reached forward and actually grabbed Bison out of his Psycho Crusher and held him up as Sakura came up from behind.  
  
"I hope you have a high tolerance for pain, because this will hurt!" Sakura boasted right into Bison's face before everything turned white and the sound of hits being landed and Sakura yelling out. In the next moment, Bison was on the ground while Sakura was brushing her hands.  
  
"The Harugokusatsu! That's how it's done! Now, Hinata. Finish this."  
  
Hinata gave a smile. "No problem!"  
  
Sakura ran back to where Darrell was, who was standing there in shock.  
  
{The Harugokusatsu. it's like that move in my dream. How did she learn that move?}  
  
"Sakura." Darrell started.  
  
Sakura looked at him. "Yeah?"  
  
"That move. that you just did. How did you do that.?"  
  
Sakura didn't answer. She just stared at him. He looked really curious to know, but she could also sense that something was wrong with him. "Why do you want to know that?"  
  
Darrell was about to answer when he heard a voice that yelled out, "AMAI!"  
  
Bison's body began admitting a large Psycho aura as he rose up.  
  
"This thing. called pain. I don't feel it." Bison grew a sinister smile, looking at Sakura, then Darrell, then finally Hinata. "But you WILL!!"  
  
Bison charged forward with such speed that the three couldn't even track him until, WHAM!!  
  
"NO!!" Sakura yelled at the sight that had just been seen. Bison planted his fist right into Hinata's stomach. Her face was frozen, expressing pain. She started to cough up a small, red liquid.  
  
"He didn't!" Darrell growled out loud as Hinata dropped to the ground on her knees. She was holding the spot that Bison pummeled with both arms while letting out gasps of pain. Bison just laughed heartily.  
  
"If that did so much damage. then you are way out of your league!" Bison ended his sentence by kicking the downed Hinata in the side of the head, just barely missing her temple. Her body was knocked down fully, and she didn't show any signs of getting back up very soon.  
  
"Hinata.!" Sakura finally lost all judgment and despite Darrell's pleas for her to stay, she high-tailed it towards Bison. Meanwhile, Bison was busy moving his hand above Hinata's body, who was struggling to get up.  
  
"You'll be a good source of energy, Hinata. and these other two will be an even bigger prize!"  
  
Bison's aura and Hinata's aura started to show. The moment it did, Hinata's energy began to jump to Bison.  
  
"That's it." Bison commented on his deed, then he felt a malice. He turned his attention to his side. "What?"  
  
Bison saw the other girl just a breath away from him. He tried to move. He didn't get away.  
  
"Midare Zakura!!" Sakura named her attack while systematically beating Bison down. She made sure that Bison felt every blow that she threw. "You stay away from my friend like that! Shouoken!"  
  
Sakura ended her assault with her multi-hitting uppercut, sending Bison flying across the area. Sakura didn't even stop to check about her friend. She just ran after Bison as Darrell went over to Hinata.  
  
"Hinata. Hinata, if you can hear me. please answer me."  
  
Hinata looked up to see the American's dotted face. "I'll. be. fine, Darrell." She paused for a second to raise her head. She looked at her friend who was staring at the man that injured her. "Do you. feel that.?"  
  
Darrell looked down to her. "Feel what?"  
  
"It's like a dark force, but it is. coming from Sakura."  
  
Darrell's eyes read troublesome. "But. this is Sakura! Sakura Kasugano that we are talking about. right?!" Darrell took a minute to calm down. "But if my hunch is right. and that dream wasn't messing with me. then."  
  
End of Chapter 6 


	7. Extended Vacation: Going to Hong Kong

7. Extended Vacation: Going to Hong Kong  
  
{The girl is showing much more energy that before. Looks like she is producing something interesting.}  
  
"Bison!" Sakura yelled out. "I won't forgive you for what you did to my friend!"  
  
"I really think that you won't be forgiving yourself if you attack me."  
  
Sakura got into her fighting stance. "What are you babbling about?"  
  
"Just look at yourself. You cannot control your emotions. You don't know it. but you are succumbing to the Dark Hadou."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I should have known after you attacked me. You reminded me of the fighter that wounded me."  
  
Sakura stood mute. "I don't understand."  
  
Bison crossed his arms. "Of course you don't. You are still a child. You might be weaker than that man, but you still contain the Dark Hadou in your veins." He turned his back to Sakura. "When the time comes, I'll suck it out of you. But for now, farewell."  
  
"But wait!" Sakura tried to stop Bison, but it was too late. Bison disappeared.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
Sakura turned to her friends, but her attention was on Bison. and herself. She walked over to Darrell and Hinata with a dazed look on her face.  
  
{The Dark Hadou. Wait a minute! Dark.}  
  
Suddenly, she knew what was happening.  
  
{That dream that I had. Evil Ryu and Dark Sakura. Am I letting that girl control my body.?}  
  
"Sakura! Is something the matter?" Hinata asked, worried.  
  
"You guys," Sakura began. "I will need to have a talk with you."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Interesting. Very interesting."  
  
A dark figure stood on top of a branch of a tree, staring down at the three young warriors. His eyes were an eerie dark red, but that is all that could be noticed.  
  
"The girl possesses the Satsu no Hadou. She might be the one that I'm looking for."  
  
The figure stood there with a grin of his face for about 4 more seconds before warping away from the vicinity.  
  
----- -----  
  
"So you are going to look for Ryu, huh?"  
  
Sakura stared right into her friend's eyes and her mother's. She was determined to find the one she looks up to. She knows that he already contains the Dark Hadou and wanted to see if he can help in any way possible. Hinata and Darrell were very supportive, but her mother was hard to crack. They had been talking for about an hour, but finally her mother approved.  
  
"If I am right," Sakura said, "this power that I process could be very dangerous. I have to get this under control, mom."  
  
"I see. Well, I guess I won't be seeing you for a while then." Her mother had a very calm tone in her voice all throughout the talk.  
  
"I'll try to come back as soon as possible," Sakura reassured her mother. That seemed to clench it.  
  
"Okay," her mother said slowly. "I. believe that I can trust you on this. Just don't go dieing on me or something like that."  
  
"Yes, mom."  
  
"There is just one thing I have to say about this, Sakura."  
  
Sakura turned to Darrell. He could see that this was bothering him somewhat. "What is it?"  
  
He swallowed hard then spoke. "This. well. I'll go with you."  
  
"What?" Sakura let out. She shook the shock away. "I really don't think that is a good idea. I mean, I might lose myself. and well, you are still in school--"  
  
"Sakura, just stop right there," Darrell cut her off. "There is something that is bothering me right now, and really, it is more important than school right now. It has to do mainly with the dreams that we had a few nights ago. I know that you remember that."  
  
Sakura nodded as Darrell continued. "Besides, I never got to tell you why I'm really here."  
  
Sakura stared at her friend. "You mean to tell me."  
  
"Sakura, I'm the reason things back at home have been a mess. I've been developing a huge anger problem. and with my fighting abilities. well, you know. So. I think this Ryu can help me here. I don't think that it is Dark Hadou. but it is still a huge problem. I can't ignore it."  
  
"Fine. call it an extended vacation, then," Sakura said. Now then. At least I have someone to keep me in check.  
  
"If you guys go out into the world all dysfunctional and stuff, then it looks like I'm going also."  
  
Everyone in the room looked at Hinata. She didn't normally do stuff like this. Okay, she did, but not to the extreme. like this.  
  
"I know now I'm not going to be able to stop you." Sakura admitted. "It looks like it is a group journey, then."  
  
Sakura's mother looked at the three teenagers with a look of sorrow.  
  
{Sakura. I can only wish you luck. Looks like you are growing up.}  
  
----- -----  
  
"Now, then. Where are we heading again?"  
  
"Downtown Hong Kong. I want to meet up with some guys."  
  
"Really? So you know some guys from all over the world, huh, Sakura?"  
  
"You could say that."  
  
The trio was already aboard the airplane to Hong Kong. Sakura wanted to start her search for Ryu there. She could have started for Ken from the start, but she really didn't want to disturb him. Only God knows what he does. So she thought of meeting a few characters there. First was the Interpol agent, Chun-Li. She probably knows a thing or two about Bison. Second were the Lee Brothers, Yun and Yang, for a little sparring match. Third, and probably the riskiest one, was the movie star, Fei-Long. Since he occasionally spars with Ryu, he might just have a clue on his whereabouts. But since he is a movie star, chances are they'll be moving to Thailand without his help to see. Sagat, Ryu's rival. If anyone, Sagat will know where he is besides Ken, but it might not be so easy.  
  
"You know," Darrell started, lying back into his chair. "I really hope that I don't have jet lag on this flight."  
  
"You shouldn't worry," Hinata reassured him. "These are Japanese planes. You'll actually be enjoying this."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Trust me. The ride is very comfortable. Also, they let you play games on the seats. You'll love it."  
  
----- -----  
  
Sakura, Hinata, and Darrell found themselves making their way down a Hong Kong street roughly 5 hours later. Sort of like Tokyo, Hong Kong was insanely crowded. The sidewalks were being consumed with bodies, as well as the streets.  
  
"Man. this is worse than New York." Darrell commented while bumping his way forward.  
  
"Sakura. how much longer until we get to this pottery shop you told us about?" Hinata asked, annoyed.  
  
"Its right here," Sakura replied, moving towards a store building. The others followed suit and stared at the orange pottery shop. It was definitely in Hong Kong design and with large monuments in the front.  
  
"Let's go in, shall we?" Sakura invited as she opened the door and walked in. All three were met by many clay statues around the room. Most of them were about ancient men in poses. As they walked down an aisle, they caught a glimpse of a large aquarium to their left.  
  
"Pretty nice," Darrell said while gawking at the monuments.  
  
"Welcome to our store."  
  
The trio raised their head to the balcony above them to see a young teen with his arms folded. He was wearing a long, orange sleeveless shirt with baggy black pants and his brown hair shot forward over his face like a shade. He jumped over the balcony and landed on his feet right in front of his visitors.  
  
"Hi, Yang," Sakura answered his welcome. "What's up?"  
  
His expression was pretty soft. "Oh, Sakura. I'm okay. I see you brought visitors with you."  
  
"Yeah. These right here are my friends Hinata and Darrell."  
  
Yang looked over to the two newcomers. "Nice to meet you."  
  
"Same here," Darrell returned. "I really like your store."  
  
"Really? It is my uncle's." Yang turned around. "Follow me. I'll show you his masterpiece."  
  
On the way, Yang broke down the story about his family's shop and the talent of sculpture. "It is like a family tradition to keep this shop. My uncle is especially dedicated to this. He made over half of these sculptures in the shop and they are pretty popular. Most of them sell pretty well."  
  
Yang stopped right in front a huge sculpture of a man on one knee and one arm up in triumph, possibly after a victory in war. "This. is the best one up to date," Yang continued. "It took my uncle and grandmother about 5 months to make this one out of pure marble. It has no price value and is the store's trademark."  
  
"It is pretty awesome," Hinata complimented on the handiwork. It isn't everyday you see something like this in Tokyo.  
  
Sakura looked at Yang and asked, "Yang. I have been meaning to ask you. Where is your brother?"  
  
Yang took his eyes of his uncle's work of art to place them on Sakura. "Well. you shall know that in about. 3. 2. 1."  
  
Suddenly, a voice shot out, "Seriously, grandma! I wasn't hanging out with Hoimei today! She just came over here and started to harass me! What was I supposed to do!?"  
  
Another voice this time. "You should have told her that you were busy! You know that when I'm not here, you and Yang look after the shop. You just don't go out with. with her like that leaving your brother to tend to the shop!"  
  
"I'm sorry! I really am!"  
  
Everyone except Yang sweatdropped. "It looks like I found him." Sakura said, uneasily.  
  
Yang just closed his eyes while shaking his head. "That's Yun for you."  
  
In an instant, another teen raced down the spiral case to the lower floor. Just like Yang, he wore a long, sleeveless shirt, but it was white instead of orange, and his eyes were hidden by a blue and yellow baseball cap. He didn't realize the group was there until he almost ran into Hinata.  
  
"Whoa!" he yelped as he fell forwards to avoid tripping over Hinata, but caught himself and did a forward flip, just avoiding a statue. He brushed himself off before looking up to the four beings.  
  
"Huh. yeah. Nothing broken," he was still checking himself, then said, "Sorry about that. Welcome to our pottery shop! My name's Yun, your assistant for your stay. Hey, wait a minute. Sakura?"  
  
Sakura nodded. "Yes, Yun. It's me."  
  
Yun folded his arms while Yang put his hands in his pockets. "Well, it has been a while. What brings you here? Looking for another match? I'm ready whenever you are!"  
  
"Sure, but I came here for something else. Have you seen Ryu anywhere? I'm sort of looking for him."  
  
Yun stared at Sakura. "Ryu. you mean the guy with the white gi and the duffel bag?"  
  
Sakura's eyes lit up. "Yes! That's it! When was the last time you fought him?"  
  
"It was a few months ago. He beat me in a close fight, but I'll beat him someday. I just know it. My kung-fu is the best out there!"  
  
"Whatever you say, brother." Yang said.  
  
Darrell put a hand on his chin. "Hold on a minute. Are you guys. the infamous Twin Dragons of Hong Kong?"  
  
Yun pointed a thumb to himself. "You're looking at them."  
  
"Oh, my. God. I've heard about you guys. I swear, I have never seen such moves like the ones you use. You are just. good."  
  
"Yeah, well." Yun said, flattered. He rubbed his nails onto his shirt. "Our grandfather taught us. If you're a fighter, then we could spar sometime while you're here."  
  
"Sure! I'd love to take one of the Twin Dragons." Darrell put his hands in his pocket when he was done, smiling.  
  
"You might just win. Yun has been slacking in his training lately," Yang informed Darrell.  
  
"Oh, please, Yang!" Yun said, nudging Yang with his knuckle.  
  
"You should know better, Yun," Sakura said sarcastically. "Especially after our training during these past few weeks."  
  
"I don't know what my brother is talking about," Yun said. "I'm still as sharp as I was before!"  
  
"I'll find out for myself," Sakura responded. She turned her body to the direction of the door. "Let's see what you got."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Are you sure that they should be fighting right here in the street?" Hinata asked Yang while staring at Sakura and Yun.  
  
"This is how Yun likes his fights; right here in this area," Yang answered.  
  
Sakura and Yun were about to fight at the intersection of a Hong Kong street. The difference is that this section was blocked off by a city bus, which was supposed to be moved by the city since it was out of commission, but they never did. The residents in the neighborhood didn't seem to mind it being there, as business conducted as usual. There was even little convenience stands dotted around the bus.  
  
"Sakura," Yun said as he bowed respectfully to his opponent. "I hope you're ready."  
  
Sakura returned Yun's bow. "I should be saying the same for you! You are the one who hasn't been training!"  
  
"That's enough idle chit-chat." Yun got into his Kenpo fighting stance. "Let's go!"  
  
Sakura wasted no time in starting the fight with a roundhouse kick, something that Yun saw clearly and parried. Yun returned to a power punch to Sakura's head, but she ducked it and landed a short Shouoken, knocking Yun into the air. Yun landed on his back and Sakura stood over him for a follow up attack, but he instantly sprang back up with an upward kick, causing himself to soar into the air. Yun caught Sakura in the chin, making her fly backwards from the force.  
  
"The Senkyutai," Yang said to the other two spectators. "Yun's recovery move."  
  
"He did that so fast." Hinata commented.  
  
Yun landed as Sakura got up from his kick. He stepped forward a bit, and then leaped forward with his arm stretched outward. Sakura saw it way too late and got nailed in the face, knocking her down again.  
  
"Zesshou-houou," Yang called again. "He uses that to cross long distances."  
  
Sakura got up, rubbing her chin with one of her handguards. As she rose, Yun revved up and fired a strong kick to Sakura's stomach. Sakura ditched at the last second to Yun's back and grabbed him by the neck. She started to tighten her grip on Yun for about a second, then let go, then squeezed again. Sakura followed this pattern about 5 more times before finally bashing Yun over the head with a downward elbow strike, sending him to the ground.  
  
"Sakura Jime," Hinata said sarcastically to Yang, who just adverted his attention to the battle, which drew a few spectators. Yun parried another one of Sakura's attacks and ducked another punch which aimed at his head. He then thrusted his shoulder into her chin, once again hitting her into the air.  
  
"Tetsuzanko," Yang called once more.  
  
Sakura landed, but flipped to her feet. She got into her stance, charged up her energy, and fired a Hadouken to where Yun was. That's right. was. Yun was nowhere near the Hadouken; he was in the air, getting ready to plant his sneaker into her face. Sakura, luckily, moved to the side, letting Yun land right beside her.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Sakura slammed her fist into Yun's body multiple times before hitting him into the air. Yun hit the ground, but just like Sakura, he bounced off the ground into a small back flip to his feet.  
  
"It's time to use something stronger." Yun said out loud. He set himself up then said, "Ikuzo!"  
  
Sakura knew he was trying something new, so she got on the defensive. Yun launched two elbow strikes to the head, then alternating punches. Since Sakura blocked, Yun stopped right there. Sakura started to counter-attack, but got cut off.  
  
"HAI!"  
  
Yun shot his arm upward, hitting Sakura in the head so hard that she stopped right in her tracks, and then he hit her again with a little Tetsuzanko, hitting her into the air. Then he ducked down and blasted Sakura higher into air with a huge uppercut.  
  
"YOU-HOU!!" Yun shouted the name of his big attack as he let Sakura fall to the ground.  
  
"Man!" Darrell's jaw seemed to drop right there. "Hinata, did you see that?!"  
  
Hinata didn't respond. She just looked on to see her friend slowly get up. Her movements were very groggy.  
  
{Sakura.} she thought. {Are you okay?}  
  
Sakura was in a world of her own. Her head was spinning as she rose up.  
  
{Wow. what. a. move.}  
  
The world seemed to spin right around her. This wasn't the first time she was knocked silly. She knew that, so she did what she always did when she was dizzy like this. she repeatedly smacked herself in the head with her hands.  
  
{Come on.} she said to herself, trying to shake her dizziness.  
  
"Gene'. JIN!"  
  
Sakura looked to Yun to see 3 images of him standing right in front of her. She shook her head hard. "I know. I was dizzy. but not like this!"  
  
Yun laughed. "Are you confused? I know you are. Welcome to my Gene'jin, where my combos are even more powerful than before. You can't guard all of my attacks, Sakura. You'll be hurting after I'm done with you!"  
  
Yun ended his sentence with another Zesshou-houou, but this one didn't knock Sakura down. He immediately landed a few more punches and kicks while she was stunned, followed by a Senkyutai. Yun landed well before Sakura did and rushed under her to perform a Tetsuzanko, knocking her into the air again.  
  
"Yun isn't going to let up, is he?" Hinata asked Yun's brother.  
  
He responded by shaking his head. "No," Yang answered. "Once Yun starts his Gene'jin, then there isn't much help for his opponent until the effects wear off."  
  
Hinata looked back at the two just when Yun kicked upwards, hitting Sakura's fallen body again and finally finishing it with a strong double palm strike, sending the girl right into the bus.  
  
"Kobokushi," Yang named Yun's move.  
  
Sakura let herself slide off the side of the bus. It has been a while since she was hit like that, so she tried to buy as much time as possible to recuperate. Unfortunately for her, Yun wasn't buying it.  
  
"Come on, Sakura!" he called, fists on his hips. Although his eyes was hidden behind the cap he was wearing, Sakura could clearly see that his eyes wanted more than what she was giving.  
  
{Okay, Yun. You want more. you've got it.}  
  
Sakura pushed herself off of the bus and slowly got into her stance. Yun followed suit.  
  
"I really hope that you're hiding something from me, Sakura," Yun said, half mockingly. "This fight is getting boring."  
  
Sakura didn't respond to Yun's comment. Instead, she dashed forward within range to start the fight again. Yun threw another punch to the head. Sakura dodged and swept Yun off his feet. He hit the ground but quickly recovered. Yun got to his feet expecting Sakura to wait for him to return an attack. He was wrong.  
  
"Shunpukyaku!"  
  
Yun was greeted with three spinning kicks to his head before being knocked backwards. He took a small break to fix his cap, which began to slide off his head, and then looked at Sakura. He noticed a change in her expression. There was no longer any softness in her eyes. They were replaced with seriousness. for the fight.  
  
"It looks as if Sakura is done playing around," Yang observed.  
  
"I see that you are now in your groove," Yun started, "but you took too much damage to keep on fighting me."  
  
"Shut up." Sakura mouthed out. Her voice was very cold when those words came out and everyone noticed it.  
  
"Did I just miss something. or did she just switch her whole attitude?" Darrell asked, puzzled.  
  
Yun ducked down to deliver another Tetsuzanko, but Sakura moved to the side and smashed Yun in the back of the neck with a swift hand chop. He landed face fist into the pavement as Sakura stared at him. Her eyes read nothing but seriousness.  
  
"Brother." Yang whispered to himself. "It looks like your boasting led you to another unnecessary scuffle."  
  
"Sakura.?" Hinata called her friend. Sakura didn't answer.  
  
"Get up, Yun," she ordered. Slowly, but surely, Yun lifted his body off the canvas and rested on one knee.  
  
{Damn, Sakura!} Yun thought to himself. {What is with this new you? You don't seem to be enjoying this at all.}  
  
"Is something wrong.? Yun, don't let me down."  
  
Yun stood up and got into his fighting stance. Sakura saw this and without even getting into her own stance, started to attack again. This time, Yun parried Sakura's attack, which was an overhead punch that resembles Ryu's move and returned with a short punch/kick combo. Before Sakura could recover, Yun pulled out a move that he used before.  
  
"Ikuzo!" he shouted before hitting his opponent with two elbows to the face, then double face smashes, the last one hitting Sakura into the air. Yun jumped into the air and let out another two kicks to Sakura's vulnerable body.  
  
Sakura landed on the ground again as Yun finished his move. Yun leaned forward and put his hands on his knees while trying to recover his breath.  
  
"Sourai. Rengeki." Yun said the name of his move slowly. "Okay, Sakura. that should do it. I'm done."  
  
Yun wasn't surprised that Sakura was getting up much more slowly than before. He was really surprised at Sakura's next sentences.  
  
"I. know that. you can't be tired. yet," she breathed out. Before she could say anything else, her body gave out and she dropped to her knees, her arms hanging limp at her sides. "I'm. pretty tired myself. I guess. I'm done also."  
  
Yun raised his head to look at Sakura.  
  
{Did she just turn back to normal? It seemed as if two different people were answering my response. Does she have a split personality?}  
  
Yang and Darrell made their ways to the two combatants. Darrell lifted Sakura up so he can carry her on his shoulder while Yang checked to see about his brother was doing.  
  
"That was a nice fight, Sakura," Darrell said. "Although I have to admit that Yun had you there for a majority of it."  
  
Sakura lifted her head up. "Yeah. I should have done better than that." she said weakly. As Hinata joined the two as they made their way back to the Lee's shop, Yang looked at his brother as he stood up.  
  
"Yang," Yun spat out, "there is something different about that girl. I can feel it in those last moments of the fight."  
  
Yang nodded. "I know. You shouldn't have ticked her off with those comments, brother."  
  
"A good fight was worth it, Yang."  
  
"Still."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Yang."  
  
Yang helped his brother up and together walked back. Yun walked on his own free will, but he couldn't help thinking something.  
  
{I can't risk Yang knowing about this. He'll ponder about it all day, but I can't help but think that something is wrong about her.}  
  
----- -----  
  
Darrell dropped down to one knee, exhausted.  
  
{Come. on! What does it take to get this guy down!? We've been fighting for about 10 minutes and he is nowhere near as tired as I am. and I'm the one doing the attacking!}  
  
Standing in front of him was Yang, who was in his fighting stance. "You have a lot of vigor, Darrell, but your attacks are just. well." Yang trailed off for a second before finally ending with, "not working."  
  
Darrell let out a growl. {There is no way I can keep this pace up. Wait a minute.}  
  
Darrell got up from his kneeling position and into his Hadouken stance. A faint blue aura surrounded him, which was pretty much drained from Yang's blows. It took a while, but his energy sphere came into his hands.  
  
"Not this again." Yang moaned, and then he dropped to the ground while rolling forward.  
  
"Hadouken!" Darrell shouted as he fired his energy at his opponent. Yang just went under the blast. but this is what Darrell wanted.  
  
{I haven't used this move in a while. but this is as good a time as ever.}  
  
Darrell got out of his stance and before Yang could get out of his roll, which would have led to a Senkyutai, ducked down and landed a big uppercut while rising again.  
  
"Eat this, Yang.! Furi-satairu. Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku!!"  
  
Darrell twirled his body around, kicking Yang in the head twice with spinning roundhouse kicks before propelling himself into the air and sticking his leg out. He kept spinning, landing hits on Yang, who tried to hang in there, but finally got overwhelmed and was knocked away.  
  
Darrell didn't waste anytime following Yang's body, but that was going to be his fatal mistake.  
  
"Gotcha!" Yang exclaimed. While he recovered, his leg caught Darrell in the chin, totally stunning him. This gave Yang ample time to nail his most dangerous move.  
  
"Raishin. Mahhaken!" Yang thrusted his spear-like hand into Darrell's neck, making him drop all defenses that he could have used, then glided forward, his image spitting into two while hitting multiple times. When Yang was done with his move and heard Darrell's weak, "I. lost.?" he turned back to normal and let his opponent fall to the ground.  
  
"You were good, Darrell. but you can't beat me just yet." Yang said. His voice was in a low tone then he added, "Although I'd admit you got me with a few great tactics."  
  
Darrell was still on the ground of the Lee's property when he said. "I. just can't believe. that I'd lose."  
  
"You were going against a dragon," Yun stepped in. "Not even Sakura beat me. We're just that good."  
  
"Ah, please, Yun," Sakura said sarcastically while rolling her eyes. "Spare me."  
  
"I was impressed by both of them," Hinata added her two cents. "It was just as good as the other match."  
  
Darrell slowly got up while leaning on the wall of the shop. "Sakura. We. have to go. see Chun-Li."  
  
Sakura gasped. "I almost forgot! Hey, Yun and Yang! Thanks for the matches. We have a mission to take care of."  
  
"We'll be seeing you in the next tournament, Sakura. if there is another one," Yun replied.  
  
Sakura, Hinata, and Darrell all did their goodbyes before turning away from the Lee Brothers. The next stop: Interpol and the agent, Chun-Li Xiang.  
  
----- -----  
  
Sakura and the gang found Chun-Li at her desk, zooming through papers and typing on her computer. She was just one of the many Interpol officers working like madmen (or madwomen. whatever the case may be). A lot of commotion could be heard throughout the huge room as other workers got what they needed to be done.  
  
"Should we be disturbing her?" Hinata asked Sakura.  
  
"Trust me, with what we got to say, she'll be very interested," Sakura answered while making her way to Chun-Li. As they made their short journey from the entrance door to the desk of Chun-Li, they ran into about 20 people whom were scrambling around as if the place was on fire. Chun-Li didn't even notice the three youngsters until Sakura said, "Hi, Chun-Li!"  
  
She was startled at first, but when she looked up, her tension eased. "Sakura.?" she asked.  
  
"Yes," replied the girl.  
  
"I have no idea why you're here. or how you got past security, but if your looking for a fight, I can't give it right now. I'm very busy."  
  
Sakura shook her head. "No, Chun-Li. That isn't why I'm here. I'm looking for information."  
  
Chun-Li stopped whatever she was doing and eyed the girl in front of her. "Now what in the world could you be looking for? I'm curious to know."  
  
Sakura took a deep breath before responding. "A few days ago, my friends and I were abducted by some group named. uh. Shadowloo. We had to fight some guy in a red uniform. He said that his name was Bison.--"  
  
Sakura was cut off by Chun-Li, who, as predicted, was very interested in this. "Where did you fight this guy at?" she quickly asked. Her voice then seemed to disappeared, waiting for Sakura's answer.  
  
This time Hinata answered. "We were in Tokyo."  
  
Chun-Li spun around and searched her files. She started mumbling to herself while looking then pulled out a portfolio.  
  
"Here it is." she said before slapping the table with the folder. The kids gathered around Chun-Li's desk to get a closer look. Chun-Li looked up. "This information is classified. I suggest that you don't tell anyone about this, okay?"  
  
The teenagers nodded.  
  
"The man. or whatever you fought was named M. Bison, the leader of a worldwide crime organization named Shadowloo. You knew that already. Everyone at Interpol has been busy trying to arrest this guy for years. His syndicate specializes in all types of crimes, and as far as himself."  
  
"He has some type of dark fighting aura," the dark-skinned boy finished her sentence.  
  
Chun-Li stared at him for a while before asking, "Who are you, anyway? I never saw you before."  
  
His glare on her was pretty hard. "Darrell Goodson from America," he answered. "I'm just one of Sakura's friends. This Bison guy. when Hinata here fought him, he demonstrated some type of purple energy. Providing that the names of his moves all had the word 'Psycho', I'm guessing that his source of power is called Psycho Power."  
  
"I like your deduction skills," Chun-Li complimented, "but I don't understand why he would come after you kids for."  
  
"He said something about taking our energy," Hinata replied.  
  
Chun-Li looked down at the papers in the folder.  
  
{Taking the vigor from young fighters like these. are you that desperate, Bison, to get more powerful? You already killed many, including my father. Why get more power?}  
  
"I forgot to mention that he doesn't just set his bases in Japan.," Chun-Li continued. "Like I said before, Shadowloo is worldwide. Tokyo is the first location that we can finalize on, now thanks to you, we can now raid that spot."  
  
"You're welcome," Sakura said, "but do you have any other information on him?"  
  
Chun-Li shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. Not even our best spies could get any info."  
  
Sakura looked a bit depressed. "Okay. Thanks, Chun-Li."  
  
"Wait a minute, Sakura. Why did you want to know something about such a dangerous man, anyway?"  
  
Sakura looked at the Interpol agent for awhile before answering. "Before he left us. he said something to me. It was." Sakura trailed off.  
  
Chun-Li was silent for a while before replying, "I see. Okay, Sakura. You and your friends take care, OK? Bison is very dangerous. Proceed with caution."  
  
Sakura, Hinata, and Darrell turned toward the door. Sakura turned her head back to Chun-Li and said, "Thank you for your time, Chun-Li. I'll see you later."  
  
----- -----  
  
"That was a waste of time," Darrell hissed angrily. "Fei-Long was busy shooting a movie and was too busy to talk to us. Looks like were heading to Thailand."  
  
The three were sitting on a bench in the Hong Kong airport. Sakura looked at the airplane that they were about to board. Her eyes were full of life now. If anyone, Sagat will have some idea where Ryu is.  
  
Hinata looked over Darrell's head, who was looking at all the people passing by, to see Sakura. "Sakura." she started, getting her friend's attention.  
  
"Yes?" Sakura responded.  
  
"This is my first time going far away from home besides Hong Kong."  
  
"Are you scared or something?"  
  
Hinata shook her head while smiling. "No! I'm rather excited about this. I wanted to look at what the world has to offer. I was sort of jealous of the fact that you have been away Street Fighting for so long while I stayed at Taiyo. Now, it's my turn."  
  
Sakura returned Hinata's smile. "I'll make sure that you enjoy this."  
  
As Hinata sat back in the bench, a woman came over the PA system. "Attention. Flight 38 to Thailand is about to take off. All passengers make your way to Gate 4L, please."  
  
"That's us," Darrell reminded the girls while getting up. The trio picked up their belongings and started to the next location.  
  
End of Chapter 7 


	8. The Power of Muay Thai

8. The Power of Muay Thai  
  
"Ah. Thailand." Sakura said while taking in deep breaths of air. She was standing in front of a huge golden statue of a lady lying down in a surrounding pond. This was where Ryu fought Sagat for the first time and where Sagat trains at. He'll be here any minute now.  
  
The others were gawking at the work of art at hand.  
  
"I hate to admit it, but this is much better than the Lee's masterpiece," Darrell declared.  
  
Hinata just shook her head in disagreement. "No. I think that that war sculpture was much more graphic and powerful."  
  
"Guess who the critic is."  
  
While Darrell and Hinata started to argue about the art world, Sakura took this time to do some stretching. She always did that while waiting for something to happen. After about 10 minutes, Sakura stopped suddenly.  
  
"Something up?" Hinata asked curiously.  
  
"Ssshh!" Sakura hissed. Everyone quieted down, so the only noise was that of the slight wind. and grass crumbling.  
  
"Someone's here," Sakura announced while getting up. A figure appeared behind a small tree. He was sort of skinny and wore nothing but a pair of blue and red trunks and tape on his hands and heels. The colors on his trunks were separated by a golden "V". His hair was orange and spread out one way forward and at the base was an orange headband. He also had a rather annoying smile on his face.  
  
"Hello. I'm sorry to interrupt your picnic, but this is my private training grounds. I'll let you leave two ways: either on your own two feet or on three stretchers."  
  
"For someone who just came here, you have a lot of nerve saying that to someone you don't even know," Hinata scolded.  
  
"I can tell that you are new here, so you don't have any idea who you are talking to. I'm Adon, the king of Muay Thai. Now, I'll give you a chance to move out of here."  
  
"Muay Thai." Sakura repeated. "By any chance do you know a person by the name of Sagat?"  
  
"Shut.. UP!!!!" Adon bellowed, clenching a fist in anger. "Sagat is nothing but a weakling compared to me. He lost to some Shotokan in a white gi for crying out loud! Muay Thai is supposed to beat any type of fighting style, especially Shotokan. That's why I ditched any relationships with that good for nothing."  
  
Sakura's anger started to rise. "That man in the white gi just happens to be the best out there in all aspects. His name is Ryu. and I'm looking for him, but I doubt someone as arrogant as you would even be any time worth wasting on. and neither should I be wasting time on you. Come on, guys."  
  
Darrell and Hinata stared at Sakura.  
  
{Are you kidding me, Sakura?} Darrell thought, totally confused. {I thought that you were looking for someone. Why leave the place that you know that he'll be at?}  
  
"Are you coming or not?!" Sakura yelled out while turning her back to Adon.  
  
"Uh. yeah, sure, Sakura." Hinata let out before joining her. Darrell just looked at Adon some more before starting to leave.  
  
{I'm not. worth wasting.?!} Adon thought angrily. {Why that no good brat!}  
  
"Hey, kid!" Adon called after the three that were just about out of earshot. They stopped and looked over their shoulders. "You! The loud- mouthed one! How about I beat some respect into you?! I'm the king of Muay Thai, for crying out loud!!"  
  
{This guy just doesn't stop, does he?} Sakura thought. She started walking towards Adon, and, sort of copying off Darrell, started to fix her red handguards. "I really don't care if you are the prince of Spain! If it is a fight that you want, then I'll give it to you, just to get you to shut up."  
  
{That's right. come to papa,} Adon thought.  
  
"Wait."  
  
Both Sakura and Adon looked to where the voice came from, i.e. Darrell. He gave Adon an icy glare.  
  
"Like my friend, Sakura here, I really don't care who or what you call yourself, but someone as arrogant as you needs a good punch to the face. Normally I would let Sakura kill you, but that wouldn't make me much of a gentleman, now would it?"  
  
Darrell looked towards Sakura. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked, flashing a smile.  
  
"I don't know. He has been directing his attention to me."  
  
"Aren't you looking for someone around here?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"While I beating this guy senseless, you look out for him, OK?"  
  
Sakura took a while to answer. Just when she was about to speak, Adon cut her off.  
  
"Just who do you think you are, huh? I want her, not some punk like you."  
  
Darrell instantly turned his attention to Adon, his eyes full of anger. "Did. you just call me a punk?"  
  
Adon wasn't fazed. "That's right, punk. You don't deserve the right to take me on."  
  
"How about I correct you!"  
  
Darrell entered his fighting stance, but Adon folded his arms while smiling.  
  
"I don't understand why you are so ignorant, but I'll take you on. I could use a human punching bag."  
  
"Shut up," Darrell belted back as his red-orange aura appeared around his body. "I didn't come to Thailand just to sightsee. I have been training since yesterday." The aura started to grow. "And I could use a punching bag!"  
  
Adon got into his fighting stance. {Weird. his aura is different from other fighters. I only seen a color like that on. Could he know that move?}  
  
"I see that you practice Shotokan, huh?" Adon said. Darrell didn't return with an answer.  
  
"That aura. Do you know a move called the Raging Demon?"  
  
"I have a raging move all right. Allow me to demonstrate."  
  
Darrell dashed forward towards Adon as Adon braced himself.  
  
"Rekka. NAKKURA!!!"  
  
{Not what I had in mind.}  
  
Adon blocked Darrell's rapid blows. Darrell stopped suddenly since his moves where being blocked.  
  
{How could he block all of that? Oh, well. looks like I'll have to change the strategy.}  
  
Darrell jabbed at Adon, but Adon just moved out of the way. Adon countered with a strong side kick to the head. Darrell ducked and swept Adon. Adon fell to the ground and rolled to the side to get up.  
  
"Senpukyaku!"  
  
"I don't think so! Rising Jaguar!!"  
  
Adon hit Darrell out of his hop kick with a double rising knee while rising into the air, taking his opponent with him. As Adon landed, Darrell safe fell.  
  
"Try this out for size, rookie!"  
  
Adon jumped high behind him as Darrell got near him. He jumped onto the side of the gold statue, got his balance, and then drove himself towards his foe, with his foot outstretched.  
  
"Jaguar Tooth!"  
  
Darrell braced himself, about two seconds before Adon was about to make contact, an idea struck him.  
  
{I know that I'll regret this but here it goes.}  
  
Darrell bent down slightly, his fist at his side. He dashed forward a bit towards Adon.  
  
"Shouoken!!!"  
  
Darrell soared into the air with his fist above him, hitting Adon out of his special move.  
  
{He used my move.?!} Sakura was pretty shocked at this. She and Hinata were a few yards away from the battle, which continued after Darrell's move, but she could see clearly.  
  
{Okay, Darrell. after this. we are going to have a little battle ourselves.}  
  
"Did he just use your move?" Hinata asked Sakura. Sakura simply nodded 'yes'.  
  
"The form wasn't like yours, you know. Maybe this is what he meant by getting some tips. I'd be surprised if he used one of my moves."  
  
"I doubt that he would. Most of your moves don't suit his personality," Sakura said.  
  
Hinata turned her attention to her friend. "What do you mean?" Her voice was a little annoyed.  
  
Sakura held up a finger. "One word, Hinata. Renkyakudan. Do you imagine Darrell using that move?"  
  
Hinata started to blush beet red. "I hardly use that move now! I know that is ridiculous-looking. That is why I don't even bother to use it in a serious fight."  
  
"I don't know where you got the idea." Sakura said while closing her eyes for a bit.  
  
"Oh, please!" Hinata said loudly. The embarrassment in her voice made Sakura laugh a bit. "I guess that all of your moves are serious. Must I say it.? Sakura Otoshi?"  
  
Sakura's laugh disappeared immediately. She glared at Hinata, who was wearing her own mischievous smile. "Now wait just a minute.! My Sakura Otoshi is a much better move than your Renkyakudan! It has its uses."  
  
Hinata rolled her eyes. "You get hit out of it faster than Gan eats his lunch!"  
  
Sakura was steaming now. "So, you want to be a wise-girl, huh!?"  
  
"You started it! You shouldn't have said anything about my moves!"  
  
"How about you and I testing out those moves now on each other? We'll hit each other at the same time." Sakura wagered, "and the one with the weakest move buys everyone lunch. How about that, Hinata?"  
  
"You're on!"  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
Both girls looked at Darrell, who was just dashing away from Adon.  
  
"Can you two do that after I done with Adon? I can't really concentrate with you arguing."  
  
Sakura crossed her arms and pouted. "Fine."  
  
"OK!" Darrell yelled out while getting into some sort of fighting stance. Adon, who was about to charge in, stopped in his tracks.  
  
"Hey! What are you doing, boy?" Adon asked, half taunting, half worried. He had taken a large amount of damage from this kid, but if he gave a sign of fatigue, he'll just give himself away. He had to bluff somewhat.  
  
"Do you really want to know.?" Darrell asked. His red-orange aura reappeared, just as big as it was before. "I'm charging up!"  
  
Adon could feel the American's power rising higher than it did before. "I'll stop you from getting far! Hyyahhh!"  
  
Adon sprung into the air and hit Darrell with an overhead heel kick.  
  
"Jaguar Revolver!!"  
  
Adon did three smaller versions of the hop up, heel kick combination, successfully hitting Darrell each time. His aura shrunk as he fell back to the ground.  
  
"You should never say what you are doing in battle, kid," Adon tipped off.  
  
"There is. a reason why I told you that."  
  
"WHAT??"  
  
Adon looked on in shock as the kid got up from the ground, slowly but surely, with his aura intact. His eyes seemed to burn.  
  
"SHAKUNETSUKEN!!!!"  
  
"But. how can you still have all this energy left?" Adon gasped.  
  
"Frankly. I'll be blunt with you." Darrell said as both fists burst into flames. "I have been holding back the whole fight."  
  
"YOU WHAT!?!"  
  
"That's right, Adon. I've been holding back. There is no way some. punk like you can defeat someone like me."  
  
Darrell took a step forward. Adon just stared at him in disbelief.  
  
"As I said before, I have been training. So have Sakura and Hinata. And as I said before, I would have let Sakura beat you senseless, but I really wanted to try my new power-up skill. This isn't even all of my strength. About. well. a Shakunetsu Burst x1.5."  
  
Adon didn't reply.  
  
"It a totally new move. I'll probably tell you the rest. if you are still conscious when I'm done with you!"  
  
Darrell put his hands to his side, forming a red ball of energy that grew in size so quickly that Adon couldn't put up a defense before being distracted.  
  
"SHAKUNETSU SHINKU HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
Darrell fired. and Adon was on fire. Within the next 10 seconds, Adon's screams could be heard throughout the area. When the ball finally exploded, Adon's body was on the ground, full of small burns and rips in the trunks.  
  
"I guess I won't be telling you that story, huh, Adon?" Darrell said.  
  
He turned his attention to the girls, who were staring back at him.  
  
"You know. you can tear each other apart now," Darrell said with a smirk on his face.  
  
"You are going to wait a bit longer."  
  
This was a new voice. coming from where Darrell laid out Adon.  
  
Darrell turned his body to see a huge man. Like Adon, he had on nothing but blue shorts with yellow trimming and tape on his ankles and hands. Most noticeably was the black eye patch over one of his eyes and the huge, jagged scar on his chest.  
  
"Who. are you?" Darrell asked.  
  
The man gave a 'humph' before saying, "I'm the emperor of Muay Thai. Sagat is the other name that you can call me by. I'm surprised that you took out Adon like this."  
  
"He was so. ignorant. I had to shut him up."  
  
"Well then. how about a match. I like your style."  
  
"I just got off a match with this bozo. but as I said, I was holding back. I might take you on."  
  
"Sagat."  
  
Sagat turned his attention to Sakura. "I know that you fought Ryu lately. I just want to know how long ago that was."  
  
"Little one, it has been a while since I fought that man. I have no clue where he could be."  
  
Those words stopped Sakura's heart. "No. way. You mean to tell me that after all of that traveling to get here, I meet another roadblock!?"  
  
Sagat crossed his arms. "I might know where he is. I'll tell you if you can beat me in a fight."  
  
Sakura walked past Darrell towards Sagat. "Okay. if you want a fight, I'll do it. If I win, you tell me where Ryu is."  
  
Sagat put up his fists to his fighting stance. "Now that that is agreed on. let's begin!"  
  
Sakura started the fight by moving to the side and delivering a spinning roundhouse kick, something she hardly does. Sagat blocked and returned with a straight kick to Sakura's upper body. Since she didn't recover from her roundhouse, her back was punished, causing her to jump forward, which was really jumping backwards from Sagat.  
  
"Tiger Crush!"  
  
When Sakura turned around, her face meet Sagat's rising knee. She was blown backwards from the force as Sagat landed.  
  
{Neh. Come on, Sakura,} Sakura said to herself. {You got to focus on this. This is the one chance to get to Ryu. You can't lose this fight!}  
  
"Okay." Sakura said while turning to Sagat, who had his fists where his shoulders were, charging up an attack.  
  
"Tiger!"  
  
Sagat threw his arms forward at the same time and unleashed a blue ball of energy that sped towards Sakura's face. Sakura let out a gasp as she ducked it in the neck of time.  
  
"Tiger!"  
  
Sagat threw another blast of energy, this one aiming low. Sakura dropped to the ground and rolled to the side near the lake of the statue to avoid getting hit.  
  
"Tiger!"  
  
Sakura saw another Tiger Shot aimed at her legs and jumped. Unfortunately, that was a big mistake.  
  
"TIGER BLOW!!"  
  
Sagat flew into the air with his fist up to hit Sakura out of her jump. It was like her Shouoken. only much more powerful. When Sakura landed, she was on her back, in the lake. literally.  
  
"Stand up, girl!" Sagat provoked his target. "This cannot be the best coming out of a follower of the man whom left this jagged scar on my chest."  
  
{I got to get past his blasts. but when I get close, he uses that Shoryuken- type move on me. I think I might have an idea.}  
  
Sakura got out of the shallow water, her clothes dripping with H2O. Sagat saw that she was ready and charged up his Tiger Shot again.  
  
"Tiger!"  
  
Sagat unleashed again, but this time, Sakura wasted no time. She quickly sidestepped the blast.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Sakura managed to catch Sagat before he could recover and hit him multiple times before launching herself and Sagat into the air. She landed right in front of him as Sagat hit the ground, but for a big guy, Sagat got up quicker than Sakura thought.  
  
"TIGER BLOW!!"  
  
Sagat did his uppercut move, but Sakura managed to get her block up in time. She saw Sagat rise into the air and quickly started charging her energy at her side. Her hands were full of blue electrical energy just as Sagat began to drop. As soon as Sagat see the huge energy the girl was holding, his eyes bulged.  
  
"SHINKU HADOUKEN!!"  
  
Sakura raised her hands upward and blasted Sagat. His body flew across the grassy area, over the pond, and his back slammed into the statue. He stayed there for a few seconds, staring at the young fighter.  
  
{She's good.}  
  
Sakura eased up a bit as Sagat slid off the gold statue and into the water, where she was at a few moments ago.  
  
"Are you finished yet?" Sakura asked the lake. "I really hope so. I have to find Ryu as fast as possible."  
  
Sakura heard the water rush and saw it bulge upwards. The water spread to unveil a beaten up, but not defeated Sagat.  
  
"Try this, girl. Tiger."  
  
Sagat was already charging up for a Tiger Shot and his fists started to glow. Sakura braced herself.  
  
"CANNON!!"  
  
Sagat unleashed a massive energy blast which was much faster than the other Tiger Shots. Sakura barely managed to block the powerful blast. It collided with Sakura's arms, putting them into a large state of pain. Sakura cried out as she felt her arms start to give out on her. Just when Sakura was about to lose it, the blast finally gave out and exploded. She was about to let her guard down, but she put it up again as she heard a voice call out.  
  
"Tiger. GENOCIDE!!"  
  
Sakura blocked Sagat's Tiger Crush move, then a small Tiger Blow, then finally a much stronger Tiger Blow. As Sagat soared over her, Sakura turned around quickly and started to charge to where Sagat was going to land.  
  
"MIDARE ZAKURA!!"  
  
Sagat whirled around and meet Sakura's fist in the face. Afterwards, all he felt was the power of Sakura's onslaught ending with her Shouoken. As Sakura saw Sagat fly, she heard him bellow, "ALL RIGHT!!"  
  
"Huh?" Sakura gasped.  
  
Sagat hit the grass and stayed there. Sakura took a few steps forward before Sagat said, "Okay, child. It looks as if I underestimated you. I'll tell you what Ryu told me."  
  
Sakura gathered herself for anything that Sagat might say. or throw at her. Fortunately, she was welcomed with, "Ryu said. that he was going to spar with his friend. in America."  
  
"That. means that he went to fight Ken," Sakura deducted. She was about to leave in a rush before remembering her manners. "Thank you, Sagat for the match. and the information."  
  
"Whatever. Now." Sagat rose to his feet. "I have some more training to do. Goodbye, kid."  
  
Sakura nodded and turned to her friends.  
  
"Nice one, Sakura," Darrell congratulated his friend on the match.  
  
"Thank you," Sakura replied before holding her stomach with an arm. "But now I'm really hungry. Let's get something to-"  
  
Sakura stopped her sentence and glared at Hinata. It looks as if she didn't forget, Sakura thought. Her friend's expression said it all.  
  
Hinata put her hands on her hips. "I see you didn't forget our little wager, did you, Sakura?"  
  
Sakura shook her head. "I can't believe that you want to go through with this. I just go off of a tough fight with Sagat, for crying out loud!"  
  
"I'm confused," Darrell said while scratching his head. "What is this wager?"  
  
Hinata took her glare off Sakura and looked at Darrell. "Sakura was talking about my Renkyakudan, so I started talking about her Sakura Otoshi. We both put up a wager: we hit each other with our moves..." Hinata looked at Sakura again. ".and whoever has the weakest move buys lunch for all three of us."  
  
Darrell just shook his head. "Why would you even think about this?"  
  
"The whole argument came about when you used my Shouoken on Adon, Darrell!" Sakura yelled out, making Darrell jump back, surprised.  
  
{I knew that I was going to regret that.} Darrell scolded himself.  
  
Sakura turned her attention to Hinata. "Ready?"  
  
"Come on," Hinata said while jumping into the air and Sakura followed. Sakura brought her hands above her head as Hinata brought her leg back, as if to deliver a kick.  
  
"Tyah!"  
  
"Tyah!"  
  
Sakura brought her fists down and bashed Hinata on the top of her head. As the same time, Hinata shot her leg out and, while making Darrell sweatdrop, kicked her sneaker off into Sakura's midsection at high speed. Hinata was sent sailing into the grass face first. just before Sakura landed right in front of her. Sakura landed on her feet, then slipped to one knee.  
  
"It looks as if you're buying, Hinata," Sakura said cheerfully. Sakura started to stand up, but.  
  
BOINK!  
  
Hinata's sneaker hit Sakura on top of her head, dizzying her. Sakura stumbled a bit before falling on her face, just a few inches away from her now unconscious friend. Darrell just stood there, completely embarrassed.  
  
"Uh. looks as if you are both buying. when you wake up."  
  
"Are they all right?"  
  
Darrell turned his head to Sagat, who had a hand on his chin. Darrell let out a nervous laugh before saying, "I guess. Hey, you don't mind helping me get these guys into our hotel room in town, do you? I can't carry both of them."  
  
"I think I can be of assistance," Sagat answered.  
  
"Thanks. You get Hinata and I'll carry Sakura. and. Hinata's sneaker."  
  
End of Chapter 8 


	9. Enter Dark Sakura part 1

9. Enter Dark Sakura part 1  
  
"I really don't want to want to bother Ken, but it looks as if I'm going to have to."  
  
"Why are you so rapped into this? You know that we have to see him. Might as well get it over with."  
  
"Is there something wrong with the guy?"  
  
Sakura shook her head. "I just don't. There is something about him."  
  
Darrell stopped eating and looked up to his friend. "You know him. I really don't understand what the big deal is."  
  
The trio was in a restaurant close to where Sakura fought Sagat yesterday. Sakura had been acting strangely all day about her upcoming visit with Ken. Both Darrell and Hinata were trying to understand what her problem was, but Sakura was persistent.  
  
Hinata put some more food into her mouth before continuing. "Listen, Sakura. One way or another, you are going to have to tell us what the problem is before we leave tomorrow for America."  
  
Sakura sighed and took a sip of her drink.  
  
"On the brighter side of the tracks," Darrell started while relaxing in his chair. "I'm going back home. Before we head to San Francisco, we are going to have to head to my hometown so I can tell my mother how things are going so far." He started to shudder. "I just know that I'm going to get yelled at."  
  
Sakura looked up and asked, "Why is that?"  
  
Darrell started to tap the tips of his index fingers together nervously. "Well, I didn't tell her. that I'll be leaving with you guys."  
  
"You WHAT??" Hinata screamed, getting the attention of everyone in the restaurant. The three looked around to see everyone's eyes on them and let out small giggles.  
  
"Sorry." Sakura said in a small voice. The customers just went back to their business.  
  
"OK," Sakura said. "We'll have to find some excuse for your mother. I'm done eating here. Let's go."  
  
----- -----  
  
As the trio stepped out of the restaurant to head for the hotel, they were met by a large gust of wind. They shielded themselves for about 5 seconds before the wind died down.  
  
"Wow," Sakura let out. "That was unexpected."  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
Sakura, Hinata, and Darrell turned their attention to a young woman in a long, red trench coat. Her blonde hair had a strand of it go over her head and on the back was a long ponytail.  
  
"Can we help you?" Hinata asked.  
  
The woman nodded. "I saw you fight that man yesterday. You're pretty strong. Do you mind doing me a favor?"  
  
Sakura was about to answer, but suddenly she felt a little woozy. She shook her head and answered. "Sure! Just tell us what you want us to do."  
  
"Okay, then. Follow me."  
  
The young woman turned around and started to walk down the sidewalk. The teens followed. The four of them went past the few pedestrians that inhabited the streets. On the way, Sakura felt a bit woozy again and shook it off. {Weird.}  
  
The woman went into an alleyway at the side of a building. Waiting for them were about 10 big, white boxes.  
  
"Okay. I need you guys to carry these to my little truck. Do you think you can do that for me?"  
  
"No problem," Sakura heard Darrell say as he started to pick up a box with both hands. She turned to Hinata, who was rubbing her eyes with her hand.  
  
"Sleepy?" Sakura asked Hinata.  
  
Hinata shook her head. "No. I'm just felling a little dizzy, that's all."  
  
Hinata stopped rubbing her eyes and made her way to one of the boxes. Sakura was about to do the same, but another small wave of dizziness came over her.  
  
{It must have been that Thailand food. Next time, I'll order something else.}  
  
Once again, Sakura shook of the dizziness and picked up a box. As the woman said, it was pretty heavy, but Sakura managed to carry it out of the alleyway into the truck. Darrell was already putting one into the back. When he finished placing it, he rested his head on top of the box.  
  
"Let me guess," Sakura said. "You are feeling dizzy, too, aren't you?"  
  
Darrell looked up to his friend. "Yeah. It's weird. I was fine about a minute ago."  
  
"I think it's the food we ate," Sakura predicted. "Hinata and I are feeling the same way."  
  
Darrell got up. "Let's get the rest of these boxes in the truck and we can head back to the hotel to rest a bit."  
  
"OK."  
  
Darrell hopped out the back of the truck into the alleyway as Sakura placed hers in. Within a few minutes, the trio finished their task. The woman came to the back of the truck to greet them again.  
  
"Thanks for the help," she said. "Do you want anything for your reward?"  
  
"No, that's okay," Sakura said. "We're just glad to help."  
  
The woman saw Sakura start to shake her head furiously. "Are you okay, girl?"  
  
"I'm. just feeling dizzy lately," she answered. "We just ate at that restaurant that you met us from. The food must have made us woozy."  
  
Strangely, the woman smiled. "I know."  
  
Sakura shook her head again and looked at the woman. "What did you say?"  
  
The woman's smile grew a bit. "I said that I know that you are feeling that way. Thailand food always makes you a little dizzy if you aren't accustomed to it. especially if they put knockout powder in it."  
  
"What?" Hinata gasped as a stronger wave of dizziness made her reel backwards.  
  
"You need not worry about a thing, you three. I won't do anything to you. but Lord Bison wants to see you very much.  
  
"Bi. son.?" Sakura gargled out as her dizziness made her drop to the ground.  
  
"You." Sakura heard Darrell say. It was the last thing she heard just before she lost consciousness.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Hey, Darrell. Darrell. Wake up."  
  
Darrell moaned as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a ceiling. He lifted his head to see that he was in a small, white room with nothing in it but a door. and Sakura. At first he was relieved by seeing Sakura, but after a few seconds, he felt that something wasn't right.  
  
For one, Sakura was wearing her school uniform, complete with the headband. The last time Darrell checked, she was wearing blue jeans and a sky blue shirt. He looked down to his own clothes and saw that he was wearing blue jeans and a white designer shirt. They were the clothes that they met each other for the first time in. Second, her expression was sort of different. Instead of the usual perky attitude, her face showed something different: lust.  
  
"Uh. Sakura.," Darrell stammered as both he and Sakura stood up. "Where are we?"  
  
"The only place that we need to be in." Sakura answered.  
  
Suddenly, Darrell's body felt a surge. He lifted his hands up to see his red-orange aura surround him.  
  
{What the.?}  
  
He looked up to Sakura, and was amazed that her aura was the same color as his.  
  
"How in the world.?" Darrell heard himself say.  
  
"I've been hiding this from you. I wanted you to feel. special about yourself. That's what I like about you."  
  
Darrell let out a nervous laugh as Sakura continued. "There is something I always wanted to tell you, Darrell."  
  
"What is that, Sakura?"  
  
"I. well." She started to blush a bit. Seeing this, Darrell could feel his face redden, too.  
  
{What is going on, here? Why does everything that we seem to do reflect on each other?}  
  
Sakura lowered her head and kicked the floor playfully while holding her arms behind her back.  
  
{She's acting shy. That's new. This whole thing is new. I wonder why.}  
  
Something hit him right then and there.  
  
{NO WAY!! She couldn't.!}  
  
"I. sort of."  
  
NO, SAKURA!! Don't let me hear you say it! PLEASE!!!  
  
Sakura finally made eye contact with Darrell. The next few words almost stopped his heart.  
  
"I love you. Darrell."  
  
Darrell was totally speechless on the matter. He always liked Sakura. but he never thought that she would say those words, especially to him.  
  
"Sakura."  
  
Sakura took a few steps toward Darrell. Each one made Darrell's body stiffen and his already red face blush even more. which meant that Sakura blushed more also.  
  
{I can't believe this. I really can't. At first I really didn't want to hear those words. but now I feel sort of better. I guess I sort of desired this.}  
  
Sakura got within an arms length of her friend. Both of them were sharing their emotions. and it showed. Both were blushing like crazy (Sakura's influence), but they were also relaxed (Darrell's influence). There was a level of lightheadedness (Darrell's influence) and shyness (Sakura's influence). The whole mix made Darrell sort of dizzy, making Sakura dizzy as well.  
  
{Come on, Darrell! Get a hold of yourself!}  
  
Darrell was trying to gather some type of composure. He shook his head hard to wash away his dizziness and looked at Sakura.  
  
"Darrell."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I want you to say those words that I want to hear."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You know what."  
  
Darrell stared blankly at his friend. He didn't have a clue what Sakura could be talking about. then it smacked him. Instantly, if it was possible, Darrell was the one to blush more, causing Sakura to do the same.  
  
"I. I.," he stammered. He was being the shy one now as he turned his head away for a bit. He could see Sakura look down into the floor and caught himself, knowing that he was doing this to both of them. He turned his attention to his friend, who looked back at him. He tried to say those words once again.  
  
"Sakura. I. I.." It was really hard for him to say it.  
  
"Don't be afraid, Darrell," Sakura reassured him. It gave him a boost of confidence.  
  
{This is it.}  
  
"Sakura, I. love you."  
  
Sakura smiled and Darrell did the same.  
  
"That's better," Sakura said, relieved. "Now, there is one more thing I want you to do."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Sakura closed her eyes as if to calm herself, blushing again. Darrell saw and felt it. Their faces were as red as strawberries now.  
  
"Darrell," she said, her voice was very soft. "I want you. to kiss me."  
  
Now Darrell blushed, making Sakura blush.  
  
{Damn! Why do we keep blushing? It's pretty embarrassing. Wait a minute.}  
  
"Sakura, what did you say?"  
  
"I said that I wanted you to kiss me."  
  
{Oh, GOD!!!} Darrell felt his heart pound against his rib cage so hard that he could feel his pulse all around his body. His aura grew, as well as Sakura's.  
  
"I know that this isn't easy," Sakura reassured, "but just think of how it will make us feel deep down. I've been waiting for this."  
  
"So have I, Sakura, but."  
  
Darrell looked down to the ground, unsure if he should go ahead with this. {What should I do? I want to kiss her, but something is holding me back.}  
  
Darrell felt Sakura's hand on his shoulder. He took a few deep breaths before raising his eyes to Sakura's. She smiled, and that was the end of Darrell's shyness. He did something that he never thought he had the courage to do: he grabbed Sakura with both hands, one on her back and one on the back of her head. He pulled her close to him. stared into her eyes. and kissed her. Instantly, the redness in their cheeks disappeared and their auras grew even bigger. They grew even more. then before Darrell knew it, all he could see is redness. then darkness.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Gyah!"  
  
Darrell's eyes shot open. He found himself staring at a gray sky and instead of the warmth of his aura, he felt the coldness of the air. It was raining and the wind was blowing playfully at first then picked up its pace a bit. He tried to move, but it took a while for him to know that he was chained onto a tree.  
  
"I see that you are awake."  
  
Darrell turned his head to see a familiar figure in a red uniform and silver pads along his shoulders and legs. It took a while for Darrell to notice who it was.  
  
"It's you. Bison."  
  
"Correct, boy. Did you think that I would forget about such a vigor source as you and your two friends?"  
  
"Hey. Where are they, Bison?! What did you do to them?"  
  
"Nothing. yet."  
  
Bison pointed across Darrell and Darrell turned his head to the direction of the finger. He saw Hinata, still unconscious, tied up like he was.  
  
"And as far as Sakura goes."  
  
Bison turned to a body that was lying out in the middle of the area. Darrell wasted no time to identifying who it was.  
  
"SAKURA!!!"  
  
"That's right. As you know, I'm a busy man, so I'll just wake her up now."  
  
With that, Sakura started to stir. She got to her feet, totally delirious, but when she looked at her friends, she almost lost her mind.  
  
"What the. Oh, no. Darrell! Hinata!" She turned to Bison and that's where she lost her mind. "Bison.!"  
  
Bison could feel it: the dark energy that he felt the last time. "Oh, do you honestly care for these two? Come on! Hate me more! I want to see your anger!"  
  
"I. won't let. you get. away with this!" Her light blue aura showed. However this wasn't what Bison wasn't looking for.  
  
"Bah! You call this your real power!" Bison turned his attention to Darrell. He just stared at him for a bit then smashed him in the face with a strong punch. This angered the girl even more.  
  
"You.!" Sakura's aura got bigger, but it turned darker instead of brighter. It stopped at a dark blue color.  
  
"Not good enough!" Bison's fist erupted with Psycho Power and bashed Darrell again. His eyes bulged out and he let out small cries of pain. "Either you show me that Evil Intent, or you can say goodbye to this boy!"  
  
SNAP.  
  
That was it. That's all it took. {You can say goodbye to this boy!} Sakura's aura went straight to black. Her skin tone darkened as well as she calmed down, breathing hard. Her body was facing away from Bison as the aura changed again from black. to blood red.  
  
"Yes!" Bison yelled out in triumph. "This is what I've been waiting for!"  
  
"Bison."  
  
Bison saw the girl raise her head to him. He couldn't see her face, as it was turned to the side, but when she did turn around, he could clearly see her dark expression.  
  
"It is about time I shut you up for good," Sakura said in a dark tone.  
  
Bison chuckled. "I'm sorry. That power you have isn't for you. It is the power that I will suck from you and claim for my own!"  
  
"Talk is cheap, Bison."  
  
Before Bison could react, Sakura's body seemed to divide into multiple images. They all got into a weird stance and warped behind Bison. He couldn't turn around fast enough.  
  
"Hadouken!!"  
  
Sakura blasted Bison with a larger-than-normal Hadouken, causing him to reel backwards. As he recovered, Sakura was already in front of him and smashed his face with a roundhouse kick, pushing him back even more. Bison tried to counter by smashing Sakura over the head with a wave of Psycho Power from his hand, but Sakura warped again as he executed the move.  
  
"Midare ZAKURA!"  
  
Bison was rammed in the back with Sakura's barrage of attacks once again. This time, the blows were a lot more precise. Each of Sakura's attacks made their presence know on Bison's body.  
  
Wait. why is she more powerful than before? I don't understand how this girl improved this much.  
  
"Is. this. still. Sakura??" Bison gagged as he was blasted away with the Shouoken.  
  
As Sakura landed, she responded with. "I'm not Sakura, Bison." Her voice was still very cold. "I'm.Dark Sakura; the one that will kill you for what you did to my friends and Sakura Kasugano. And when you mess with Sakura, then you mess with me. You messed with us with all of those altercations with your lackeys. You messed with us with all of the cheap knockout tricks that you pulled on us. And you messed with us. when you tried to steal Sakura's friend's energy. You bastard. Bison. YOU WILL DIE!!!"  
  
To be continued. 


	10. Enter Dark Sakura part 2

10. Enter Dark Sakura part 2  
  
Bison got to his feet. "Okay, child. if you want to kill me so badly. then come at me!"  
  
Bison's body was emitting a large mass of Psycho Energy. At the same time, Dark Sakura's Satsu aura began to flare furiously.  
  
"You don't know when you are outclassed." Dark Sakura mumbled. She then dashed towards Bison. Just as she was about to punch Bison in the face, he disappeared.  
  
"Huh?!"  
  
"Knee Press. NIGHTMARE!!"  
  
Bison appeared above Dark Sakura with three images of himself standing on one another. They dropped down at once and delivered multiple overhead flip kick. After about 3 of these (about 27 hits in all), two of the images disappeared, revealing the real Bison. He finished the move by sliding under Dark Sakura, sweeping her off her feet.  
  
Dark Sakura quickly got up while rubbing her head. "Cheap move." she spat while getting into her fighting stance again.  
  
{How did she get up so quickly after my move? Arrgh! I will kill her!}  
  
"Cheap, huh?" Bison asked. He stared at his foe for a good while before finally making the next move. He put his hands to his chest, charging his energy into a purple ball. Bison grunted as he threw the energy ball forward. It was pretty slow, so Dark Sakura had no trouble dodging.  
  
"Come on, now," she said while getting out of her dodge. She jumped forward and stopped in mid air. She quickly threw out one arm while her aura started to become enraged again.  
  
"Hadouken!"  
  
Dark Sakura let loose another big energy blast aiming at Bison. Just as it has about to hit, Bison disappeared again.  
  
"Now I got you," Dark Sakura mumbled as she quickly landed, turned around and threw her fist into Bison's face, making him stumble.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Dark Sakura hit Bison with her fist about 7 times before blasting him away. Bison froze in mid air and disappeared again.  
  
"This trick is getting old."  
  
Dark Sakura once again turned around, charged up another Hadouken, and fired upwards. The blast traveled for a bit before hitting its target. She could hear Bison's yelp as his body finally fell to the ground.  
  
"How do you. know where I'll show up at?!" Bison demanded.  
  
"Simple," Dark Sakura said. "I can sense your Psycho energy even if you try to hide it while teleporting. Besides, you're just the type of guy who would try to attack someone in the back all the time."  
  
Bison growled loudly as he got up again. {I can't teleport on her. That's about all. She's nothing but an enhanced version of her former self. I'll find a way to defeat her.}  
  
Bison lifted off into the air and came crashing down on Dark Sakura's skull. or at least that is what he though he hit.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Bison was knocked into the air again by a shorter version of the uppercut, but he air recovered quickly by flipping and dived down again with his hands in front of him.  
  
"Pathetic. Shinku. HADOUKEN!!"  
  
Dark Sakura quickly charged and fired an insanely larger version of her normal Shinku Hadouken at Bison. Its power was so ridiculous that it made Darrell's Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken look weak (although in reality, Dark Sakura's was just a few points stronger). Bison's body was covered with Satsu flames (i.e. dark purple flames) as it dropped down with a thud to the ground.  
  
Dark Sakura spat at the ground. "Like I said, you don't know when you are outclassed."  
  
Bison wobbled as he once again stood to face the darker version of the girl. {Blast it! I can't beat her this way. Maybe if. I use the reserved Psycho Power that I have stored, then I'll be able to kill this annoyance.}  
  
"Consider this a compliment, girl," Bison started. He clenched his fists and his Psycho Aura surrounded his body again. "I never had to use the maximum amount of my power on anyone except that man."  
  
Dark Sakura just glared at Bison, letting his aura get bigger.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
Dark Sakura turned around to her friends tied up on trees. The voice was Darrell's.  
  
"Listen, you have the upper hand. You have to kill this guy NOW!!"  
  
Dark Sakura nodded. "I know. and that is what I'm about to do."  
  
"Aren't you letting Bison power up?"  
  
"Sort of."  
  
"Why!?"  
  
"You'll see."  
  
Bison grinned at he relaxed after powering up. His muscles were twice the size as before and the purple aura was almost touching Dark Sakura's Satsu aura, even though they were about two yards away from each other.  
  
"You are a fool, girl." Bison said.  
  
"Oh, am I? What are you, blind?" Dark Sakura snared.  
  
"What did you say!?"  
  
"Look at our auras, stupid!"  
  
Bison looked at both his and Dark Sakura's auras. and let out a long, "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"  
  
Bison's aura was being pulled into Dark Sakura's, meaning that Bison was losing strength when he was supposed to gain it and Dark Sakura was becoming more powerful by the second.  
  
"You won't be able to withdraw that precious energy either and now I have a permanent lock on your energy supply, you'll be getting weaker by the second until there is nothing left to suck." She started to laugh suddenly.  
  
"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!?" Bison yelled at the top of his lungs.  
  
"Funny? Well, there is the fact that you were the one talking about stealing energy. Guess the shoe is on the other foot. And when the draining is complete, there will be nothing left of you."  
  
Bison's eyes grew wide at that statement. {How did she.?}  
  
"I bet you are wondering something like how I know that you'll disappear. Well, Bison, I know that you are nothing but pure Psycho energy gone bad."  
  
"How." Bison managed to say.  
  
"I rather not talk about it, Bison. It's a long story, and I really don't want to waste your last moments boring you. especially when you ARE DIEING right at this very second!"  
  
Bison growled again. "There is no way I'll let you beat me! I'm the leader of Shadowloo! I cannot be defeated by some teenage girl!"  
  
"You will." Dark Sakura replied.  
  
Bison finally lost it. Without knowing it, he disappeared from Dark Sakura's sight.  
  
{You cannot hide from me, Bison,} Dark Sakura thought to herself.  
  
"DIE!!!!"  
  
Dark Sakura felt an enormous burst of energy coming from behind her. She turned around just in time to see Bison come barreling towards her at high speed. She saw this move before. Bison was wrapped in his Psycho Energy while spinning like a torpedo, but his energy was roughly 5 times more powerful than the one that he used on Hinata so many weeks ago.  
  
"PSYCHO CRUSHER!!!"  
  
Dark Sakura put up her defense as fast as she could as Bison rammed himself into her. At first Dark Sakura looked as if she could ward off the blast, but after a while, Bison broke through her block and tunneled right into her face.  
  
"SAKURA!!!!"  
  
Darrell was livid, so he didn't even notice that Hinata was awake now or that she screamed with him. His aura instantly appeared, first white-blue, then red-orange, then a blazing orange. The sheer strength of his aura caused the tree he was bonded to erupt into flames, freeing him.  
  
"BISON!!"  
  
"Don't get involved!"  
  
Darrell was about to run into the battle, but Dark Sakura's voice cut him off. You. are. OK?  
  
"I got this, Darrell!" Dark Sakura said as Bison rushed past her. She quickly wiped the blood off her mouth, then got into a very weird stance. I hope I do this right. She lifted one knee to her waist level and put a fist on that knee. She put the other fist across her chest and floated forward.  
  
"Huh?" Hinata gasped, getting Darrell's attention.  
  
"What is she doing.?" Darrell asked himself out loud.  
  
Dark Sakura glided forward slowly. then as she predicted, Bison reappeared right in front of her.  
  
"What the.?" Bison let out.  
  
"Gotcha!" Dark Sakura yelled as she reached out to grab Bison. They stood there for about 3 seconds, Dark Sakura staring into Bison's eyes. Then everything went black. then blows could be heard all over the area. Bison was screaming for dear life in the darkness.  
  
"WHAT"S GOING ON!?" Darrell yelled.  
  
"Shun. Goku. SATSU!!"  
  
Suddenly, a huge flash of light erupted in the dark, causing both Darrell and Hinata to close their eyes to avoid blindness. In a blink, everything was back in eyesight. and what Darrell and Hinata saw was just scary. Dark Sakura had her back to them, looking over Bison. or what was left of him. His body was totally destroyed; the only remains were shards of his uniform. There was total quiet for about 2 minutes.  
  
"Oh. my." Hinata finally said. "Damn." Darrell added in disbelief  
  
"I'm done." Dark Sakura announced. She turned her attention to the two kids to her left. Darrell took the time of silence to release Hinata from her shackles. When he was done, Darrell looked at Dark Sakura.  
  
"I. know that you are not really Sakura, are you?" he asked.  
  
Dark Sakura shook her head. "I guess I have some explaining to do. but let's go back to that hotel room, shall we?"  
  
"How?" Hinata asked.  
  
Dark Sakura smiled. "I know a way."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Okay, this is how things go. I'm not, as you probably guessed, Sakura Kasugano. at least not exactly. I'm her 'dark' side. I was always in her ever since she started learning Shotokan karate. I just came to surface now, when she saw you guys and Bison. She almost lost her mind, so I controlled her body so that she wouldn't do anything harsh."  
  
The three warriors were in their hotel room. It was nightfall, so florescent light from the bedroom lamps filled the room. Dark Sakura and Hinata were sitting on one of the beds and Darrell was on the other. All three were in their nightwear.  
  
"Okay. that explains the whole you coming about," Darrell said to Sakura's dark side, ".but there are a lot of things bothering me. First of all, what is with the whole Harugokusatsu and Shungokusatsu thing?"  
  
Dark Sakura took a deep breath then said. "One day, Sakura came across the technique of the Shungokusatsu, the Raging Demon. She looked and studied it, but after learning of the consequences, she decided to tweak it somewhat. First of all, she needs someone to hold up whoever they are fighting for her to use the move. Second of all, her Harugokusatsu makes everything in the vicinity turn white. If you have a keen eye, you can see some of her attacks. This is a clean giveaway that shows that she didn't want to learn the real move. The real Shungokusatsu leaves everything black and you cannot see anything."  
  
"But why did she do that? What is so terrible about the Shungokusatsu?" Hinata asked.  
  
"When a person uses the Shungokusatsu," Dark Sakura answered, "their soul is thrown out of their bodies, leaving only the Satsu energy in the body to reek havoc."  
  
"So why did you use it. and you are perfectly fine?" Hinata asked again.  
  
Dark Sakura smiled a bit. "I guess you didn't see the little pause that I did before I finished Bison. I was gathering just a little less energy so that I don't accidentally lose Sakura's soul in the process. Normally, the Shungokusatsu is 15 hits and almost always kills the opponent. The one I did was really 18 hits, and all of them were. Actually, I can't explain it, but I had to alter it."  
  
"I see. So now, where is Sakura?"  
  
"Oh, she is unconscious right now. She doesn't have a clue what's going on."  
  
"There is no way I can tell her what happened." Darrell said loudly. He crossed his arms like a stubborn child.  
  
Dark Sakura laughed a bit. "There probably is something I can do."  
  
Hinata's attention immediately went to the other dark-skinned fighter. "What is that?"  
  
"Just watch and learn."  
  
Dark Sakura closed her eyes, focusing herself. Her black aura appeared then spread outwards. The two looked on in awe as Dark Sakura's skin color lightened up and the black aura started forming another body.  
  
"What the.?" Darrell said as both he and Hinata jumped away.  
  
After about a minute, Darrell and Hinata were looking at two identical beings, one on the bed and one standing in the middle of the two beds. The one on the bed was light skinned and her light-blue aura surrounded her body. Her eyes were closed as she sat up on the bed. The one standing was the being that was talking a few minutes ago.  
  
"That felt pretty weird." Dark Sakura said while stretching her own body. She bent down to the ground and did some leg stretches.  
  
"Did you just. make yourself a body?" Darrell asked, uneasily. "That was really creepy."  
  
"I'm fine, guys," she answered. "It will take a while to get used to my own body but it shouldn't take long."  
  
"Ugh."  
  
Darrell and Hinata turned to the girl on the bed, whose eyes started to open. When they did, she yarned while stretching her arms.  
  
"Wow. oh! Hi, guys! How is everything?"  
  
"Sakura's back!" Hinata rang.  
  
Sakura looked at her friend as Hinata ran over and hugged her. "Hey! What's with this, Hinata?"  
  
"I was pretty worried about you. when I saw you fight Bison."  
  
Sakura pushed Hinata away. "Wait. You mean to tell me that I fought Bison?"  
  
"Well, it wasn't exactly you who fought." Darrell said under his breath. "It was your body, but."  
  
"But what?" Sakura asked as she got off the bed while rubbing the back of her head. Little did she know, Dark Sakura was about to get up from stretching. You can guess where this led to.  
  
CHASH!  
  
Both Sakuras tumbled over each other, dragging Darrell and Hinata with them. The result: a four-body pileup in the small space between the beds, limbs sticking out everywhere.  
  
"Smooth move, guys,'" Darrell mumbled while blushing. "Smooth move."  
  
----- -----  
  
"So. who are you, anyway?" Sakura asked herself. "My evil side?"  
  
"Exactly," Dark Sakura answered. "I'm the one who finished off Bison for you guys. It wasn't very pretty."  
  
"I don't get it. I don't have any motives to have an evil side."  
  
"I know. I'm not evil, really. If I was, then I would have done something even more evil than killing Bison. I'm simply Dark Sakura."  
  
Sakura didn't say anything immediately after that. She just stared at her darker clone. Dark Sakura put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What's with you?" she asked Sakura.  
  
"I was just thinking on what your name could be," Sakura answered. "We can't just call you 'Dark Sakura', especially in public."  
  
"I was thinking about that a few minutes before we split. Uh. I think I got it." Dark Sakura turned her attention to Darrell and Hinata. "How about. Sakura Satsu? It fits my personality well, and most people will dismiss it as a cute little last name my parents gave me."  
  
"I like it," Hinata commented. Darrell simply nodded in agreement.  
  
"So we have a Darrell Goodson, a Hinata Wakaba, a Sakura Kasugano, and a Sakura Satsu," Darrell recapped. "A set of twins is just what this little team needs."  
  
As soon as Darrell mentioned the word 'twins', a flash of the dream he had with Sakura popped into his mind. He blushed. and, for some odd reason, Sakura blushed as well.  
  
"Hey.!" Hinata said to Sakura Satsu. "Why did those two just started to blush all of a sudden?"  
  
Darrell and Sakura Kasugano just stared at each other. {Could she have had. the dream too?}  
  
"Sakura. do you somehow remember a totally white room with you and me in it.?"  
  
Sakura stared hard into Darrell's eyes, searching her memory. Then something hit her.  
  
"Actually, I do," Sakura answered. "I remember that we were in a white room. and we had on the clothes that we met each other in 3 years ago. For some strange reason, we seemed to copy one another. We both had your orange aura and we. we were blushing. a lot. then."  
  
Sakura's cheeks turned beet red in embarrassment, and just like the dream, when she blushed, Darrell followed suit. They both knew what came next.  
  
"You said." Darrell said very slowly, ".that. you. uh. loved me."  
  
"So did you," Sakura followed. They both turned their attention to the other Sakura and Hinata and were a little surprised. Now all four of the teenagers were blushing. Everyone had rosy red cheeks, especially Darrell and Sakura Kasugano. There was a long silence before Hinata let out a nervous giggle.  
  
"I. see." she said.  
  
"I remember that also," Sakura Satsu mumbled loudly. "I was still in your body when that dream occurred, when we were knocked out by that. stuff."  
  
"Sakura," Darrell caught the original Sakura's attention, "this must mean something. If we both had the same dream at the same time, then."  
  
"I know, but where in the world can we get help?"  
  
"You know. we'll have to talk about this tomorrow," Sakura Satsu interrupted. "Let's get some rest why don't we? We have to get to America."  
  
Everyone nodded but Darrell spoke again. "Hey... Sakura S. Where are you going to sleep at?"  
  
For the first time, Sakura Satsu had a blank expression on her face. "Uh."  
  
Darrell shook his head. "You can use my bed if you want," he offered. "I'll just sleep in on the couch."  
  
"Thank you, Darrell," she replied as she slipped into her bed and continued with. "Hey. you just called me Sakura S., didn't you?"  
  
Darrell shook his head in agreement. "I'm going to have to call you guys by your last names to avoid getting you two confused. The. um. 'original' Sakura is Sakura K. for Kasugano, and you're Sakura S. for Satsu."  
  
Sakura S. nodded in agreement and flopped down on her bed. Sakura S. and Sakura K. shared a bed, Hinata got into the other bed, and Darrell, as he promised, spent the night on the couch. Just before he drifted off to sleep, he had a thought. and shuddered. {Oh, no. I have to see him when I get home.}  
  
End of Chapter 10 


	11. Sparring 2: Kasugano vs Satsu

12. Sparring 2: Kasugano vs. Satsu  
  
NOTE: This chapter contains nudity. and I think that's it.  
  
"Okay, Darrell," Sakura K. started. "How did it go?"  
  
Darrell stood on his porch with his hands in his jean pockets. "It took a while. but I managed to talk to my mother about the whole thing and I'll be able to stay with you guys! It took an hour, for crying out loud, but I did it!"  
  
It was two days after Sakura split into Sakura Kasugano and Sakura Satsu and the four of them were in Darrell's hometown in New Jersey, USA. Their stay was pretty fine in Darrell's house, but now they were about to head to their next destination; San Francisco to meet with the Pan American Champion, Ken Masters.  
  
"Let's go, already!" Darrell said eagerly. "I can't wait to head to San Fran!"  
  
The four of them picked up their belongings and started to leave, but as soon as they got to the sidewalk, the front door swung open.  
  
"DARRELL!!"  
  
"Huh?" Darrell gasped as he turned his attention to the door. The voice came from a young, brown-skinned kid, roughly 10 years old. He was a bit obese and came up to Darrell's shoulder in height. He had on gray sweatpants with a gray, short-sleeve designer shirt. He was also carrying a few travel bags with him.  
  
"Nijel." Darrell mumbled. "What do you want now? I'm leaving to San Francisco and we have to get to the airport now if we're going to make it in time."  
  
"Don't you think I know that," Nijel shot back. "I'm going with you."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"I asked Mom if it was ok. She knows that you'll be going around the world. and ultimately going back to Japan. I want to go, too!"  
  
"Nijel, my brother." Darrell started, ".there is no way that you can come with me. Things have been a bit dangerous and nasty lately, and I don't want you exposed. Wait. did you say that Mom OK'ed this?"  
  
Nijel nodded. {Oh, man. I hate it when he does this,} Darrell thought, unhappily.  
  
"So your little brother is coming with us, huh?" Hinata acknowledged. She had a smile on her face.  
  
"Yeah. I guess. but he is only coming to San Francisco and then he's going back home!" Darrell answered. Something hit him right there. "Nijel, there is only one way you can prove that you are ready to come with us. First, did Mom give you any traveling money?"  
  
Nijel nodded.  
  
"Okay, this is what you need to show me."  
  
"What is it? Whatever it is, I'm ready."  
  
"Show me the moves that you were talking about. I'm interested in knowing what you got."  
  
Nijel had a huge smile on now. He took his bags down with the rest of the group's and stepped into the driveway. Darrell followed him and stood a good few feet from his brother while the girls looked on.  
  
"We are pressed for time, so I want you just to show me your strongest moves," Darrell ordered.  
  
"Fine," Nijel responded. He wasted no time as he held up one hand into the air. Nothing seemed to happen for about 5 seconds, but Nijel was only charging up. A small, dark blue ball of energy formed in his hand. It grew to about twice its normal size.  
  
"Cosmic."  
  
Nijel clenched his hand and his energy ball then trusted his hand forward to his brother.  
  
"SCATTER!!"  
  
Tiny shots of the energy ball flew towards Darrell. Darrell put up his guard and blocked only the ones that came his way. The rest of them smashed into nearby objects and exploded. Only the ones that Darrell blocked actually did some damage.  
  
"The kid's pretty good," Sakura S. commented.  
  
When Nijel's Cosmic Scatter attack was finished, Darrell put his guard down again and put on a smile.  
  
"That's your range move. Now, show me another move."  
  
"Gladly."  
  
For Nijel's next attack, he raised his hand once again. Another purple energy ball formed into his right hand and now, the ball grew even bigger than last time. When it was done expanding, Nijel called out the name of the move.  
  
"Cosmic Bomb!"  
  
Nijel launched the huge bomb to his brother.  
  
"No way I'll block that. Let's see its power."  
  
Darrell clasped his hands to his side and his red-orange aura appeared again, forming a small red ball.  
  
"Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken!"  
  
Darrell launched his blast and it collided with the Cosmic Bomb. There was a small power struggle between the two blasts, but only after 3 seconds, the Hadouken beat the Bomb, and it traveled past as the Bomb exploded.  
  
"Nijel, DUCK!" Darrell commanded and his brother followed his order. The red blast went sailing above Nijel and exploded just behind him.  
  
"Hey! That wasn't fair, Darrell," Nijel complained as he got to his feet.  
  
Darrell shrugged. "The fighter with the most power and experience will win in any standoff, Nijel. Your moves are pretty impressive, but there is one more that you haven't showed me."  
  
"I know. Are you sure you want to test it?"  
  
"Come on, already."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Nijel kneeled down and put his right hand to the ground and channeled his energy into the pavement. Darrell stood in a defense stance, waiting of his little brother's attack. Then, a spark of electricity came up to the side of Nijel, making Darrell jump backwards. Another spark came in front of Nijel. Then another. Nijel was then surrounded by a blue aura with lightning surrounding him.  
  
{Hold on a minute. I remember this!}  
  
Darrell took his eyes off his brother and looked at his friends. "Listen, when I say so, JUMP!!"  
  
The three girls just looked at him for a while as he looked at his brother. Nijel's body flashed white. and that is all he needed to see.  
  
"NOW!!!"  
  
On cue, both Sakuras and Hinata jumped into the air as Nijel trusted his energy into the ground, creating a large wave of electrical energy that swarmed under the girls towards his older brother. Darrell blocked the wave with all he had in his guarding power. The electricity sent shocks through his body, but he managed to block the wave until it disappeared.  
  
"Geez, boy!" Darrell said while shaking his arms. "You should give me a warning before you go and use your Cosmic Shockwave!"  
  
Nijel laughed a bit. "I shouldn't need to give you a warning. if it was a real fight!"  
  
"Okay, let's get out of here." Darrell turned back to the Sakura twins and Hinata and grabbed his bags. "Ken Masters, huh? Let's see what the deal is."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Those kids are really something."  
  
On top of an apartment building was a figure hidden in his own darkness. Only his eyes were visible, which were totally red and focused on the five kids walking away.  
  
"When the time comes. I'll test them. But for now, I'll let them have their fun."  
  
The cloaked figure then disappeared from sight soon afterwards.  
  
----- -----  
  
It took about 4 hours for everyone to arrive at the San Francisco airport and another 40 minutes to find a hotel to stay at in. Nijel, Darrell, and Hinata were already in the room, setting up for their short stay, but the Sakura twins said they needed to get some things straighten out with each other. They went to a public park a few blocks away from the hotel and found themselves a nice, open, grass field to stay at. The two stood right in front of one another, wearing identical jeans, sneakers, and shirts. The difference is that Sakura S. wore mostly red and black and Sakura K. wore blue.  
  
"What's the problem, Sakura?"  
  
Sakura K. took a deep breath before answering. She made eye contact with her twin and said, "Listen. I really don't know why, but I want to see what you got. I know that you are me, but there is something different about you."  
  
"I'm glad that you noticed my special-ness," Sakura S. responded as she put her hands on her hips. "I'll be glad to have a little match with my. uh." She trailed off.  
  
"What's up?" Sakura K. asked.  
  
"Something just came up. If we are really the same person, should we call each other 'sisters'? We are twins, you know."  
  
Sakura K. cocked an eyebrow. "Good point. Maybe we should. It makes sense. No one needs to know that you are really me in another body. So, how about it. sis?" Sakura K. went into her fighting stance. "You don't mind a little sparring match, do you?"  
  
Sakura S. simply copied her 'sister's' fighting stance. "Of course I don't. Let's do this!"  
  
Both Sakuras started the match by throwing random punches and kicks at one another. Punches were blocked and kicks were dodged with so much speed, it seemed as if it was a huge blue and red blur where they were fighting. Sakura K. broke the action by pushing her sister away then charging up some of her energy. She got into a familiar stance, clasping her hands to her sides. Sakura S. recovered from the push, saw what was happening and mimicked.  
  
"Hadouken!" both Sakura's yelled out as they threw their energy balls at one another. The Hadoukens smashed into each other and instantly canceled out. Sakura K. got out of her Hadouken stance and rushed forward with her fist to her side.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Sakura S. could see the move a mile away and easily blocked it. As Sakura K. jumped into the air, Sakura S. changed up another Hadouken and hit the original out of the air. The normal Sakura fell back to the ground, but safe fell.  
  
"Shunpukyaku!"  
  
Sakura K. managed to see the darker Sakura perform her, or rather, 'their' version of Ryu's hurricane kick. Unfortunately, just like the Shouoken, Sakura K. saw it a mile away and knocked her sister out of her Shunpukyaku with a shorter version of the Shouoken. Just like her sister, Sakura S. safe fell.  
  
Sakura K. raised her right leg over her head and brought it down, but Sakura S. moved out of the way in time and punched the other Sakura in the back. Sakura K. jumped back, startled. She turned around and managed to block a roundhouse kick from her sister, then a few punching moves. Sakura K. dashed away from the last lunging punch, leaving the dark Sakura open to a small uppercut.  
  
Sakura K. was about to follow-up with another attack, but her sister grabbed her before she could move and spun around to her back. While grabbing her by the neck, Sakura S. started her strangling, but.  
  
{Come on. Don't you think I know my own grappling move?}  
  
The original took her left leg, swung it around the other's leg, and pushed backwards. Sakura S. let out a gasp as both fell back to the grass.  
  
"Cheap trick, sis," she said to Sakura K, rolling out from under her.  
  
Sakura K. laughed as both girls sat up on the grass. She looked straight into Sakura S.'s eyes and the darker twin copied. They both then turned their gazes to the shirts that they were wearing, observing each other.  
  
{She's just like me. in every way. save for the suntan skin. Hmm. well, look at this.}  
  
Sakura K. stared at the red shirt that her twin was wearing. On the right side of her shirt was a small smudge of mud where she fell at. It was small but noticeable. Sakura K. started to giggle a bit.  
  
"What's so funny, sis?" the dark Sakura asked.  
  
The original just pointed at the red shirt the dark Sakura was wearing. Sakura S. looked down, saw the stain, then glared back at the giggling Sakura.  
  
"Oh... You. That's funny, huh?"  
  
Before Sakura K. could respond, Sakura S. dove forward, tackling the lighter twin and pushed her on her back.  
  
"Hey!" Sakura K. yelped as she threw Sakura S. off her and inspected the back of her shirt. She growled when she saw a large mud stain where the blue fabric should have shown. {It must have just rained recently.}  
  
"Hey, suntan!" Sakura K. yelled out to her sister, who just returned with a smirk on her face. "You are going to pay for what you did to my shirt!"  
  
"Sun. tan?" Sakura S. repeated, trying to register the new name. When she did, she shot back with, "Those are fighting words, snowflake!"  
  
"SNOWFLAKE!! Okay, that's it!"  
  
Both Sakuras dove at each other and stated wrestling in the muck. First, Sakura S. had the advantage, pressing her weight to pin her sister, but Sakura K. reversed the pin, throwing the other one to the ground. This pattern lasted for only two minutes, ending with the twins lying on their backs, exhausted.  
  
Sakura K. managed to sit up and look down at her sister and almost busted laughing. Sakura S. was engulfed in mud and grass. She looked like a pig rolling in muck. which is what she did. Holding back a big laugh, the normal Sakura snickered while putting a hand over her mouth, "Who [snicker] has the [snicker] last laugh now?"  
  
The dark sister slowly opened her eyes to look up. and strangely, she smiled.  
  
"No one does," she answered. "Look at yourself before you go celebrating!"  
  
"Huh?" Sakura K said while looking at herself, and she gasped. Just like her twin sister, her clothes were covered in mud. Both Sakuras stared at each other. then Sakura K. fell on her back again and both started laughing long and hard.  
  
"I can't believe that we acted like that," Sakura K. said when she finally stopped laughing.  
  
"It's your personality, sis," Sakura S. noted. "Whatever you would do, I would do. It's the fact that. well. we know each others' moves so well. except."  
  
This caught Sakura K.'s attention. "What do you mean, 'except'?"  
  
"I mean that I have a few moves that you don't, or can't learn."  
  
"Oh, really? Show me, then."  
  
Sakura S. stood up as her sister looked on. She got into some weird stance. then her image split into 5. Sakura S.'s images warped past Sakura K. As Sakura S. went back to normal, Sakura K. greeted her with, "Where did you learn that?"  
  
Sakura S. turned to her sister and replied, "It comes with the power. especially if you know the Shungokusatsu, like me."  
  
Sakura K.'s eyes bulged out. "YOU KNOW THE SHUNGOKUSATSU?!?"  
  
Sakura S. just nodded in agreement. "I knew that you'd be surprised. I used that to defeat Bison."  
  
Sakura K.'s eyes read disbelief. "I don't get it. I really don't. How could you have possibly used that move and still not be some murder psycho!?"  
  
"My Shungokusatsu is different than the original. Mine is based on hits, not power to kill. I might have killed Bison with the move, but he didn't have a soul of his own. He was nothing but Psycho Energy, so I couldn't sacrifice your soul. I know better than that, sis."  
  
"So, you're saying that your Raging Demon does kill if the need be. and even if it does, my soul can't be lost, right?"  
  
"Exactly. And now that I'm not in your body anymore. I can't sacrifice your soul even if I wanted to. As for me. I'm only your dark side, not you in particular. I can use it as long as I have the power to and no harm will come to me."  
  
"Looks like you have an advantage, sis," Sakura K. said while getting up. "Come on. We have to get these rags in a washer."  
  
Sakura S. got to her feet and together started walking out the park. On the way, Sakura K. continued their little conversation. "Hey, sis. How does it feel to be. you?"  
  
Sakura S. looked into her twin's eyes and answered, "You mean how it feels to have Satsu energy in your veins?"  
  
Sakura K. nodded.  
  
"For anyone else. it would be a hassle controlling this energy. Just look at Ryu. But for me. it is sort of like having regular energy. It's not so much of a big deal, really. You and I are on the same playing field. I just know some of the dark arts, that's all."  
  
"I see," Sakura K. replied. She started laughing as she looked around the park, but her laugh quickly disappeared when she found out that everyone in the vicinity was staring at them.  
  
"Obviously. our little match made us. uh. well."  
  
"Attractive?" Sakura K. completed her sister's observation with an embarrassed look on her face. "Obviously they don't see two complete clones fighting in mud everyday."  
  
Both girls let out nervous giggles as they ran out of the park to the hotel.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Where are you guys going, huh?"  
  
"The question should be where have you to been. You two are totally filthy!"  
  
Sakura K. and Hinata were having a nice conversation at the door of their hotel room. Sakura S. and Nijel just stood there, looking on.  
  
"We had a little sparring match in the park not far from here," Sakura K. responded. She had her arms folded as she spoke. "We. got a little dirty and are about to take a little shower."  
  
"You better make it quick," Hinata said. "We're leaving for lunch in a few."  
  
"Fine." Sakura looked at her twin sister. "Come on, sis. Let's go!"  
  
Sakura S. joined her twin and went into the hotel room. Hinata waited until the door slammed shut before asking Nijel, "Where is your brother?"  
  
Nijel looked up and answered, "He's still inside doing some things."  
  
----- ------  
  
"You want us to do WHAT!?"  
  
"You heard me." Sakura S. said, holding two bath towels. "If we took our showers together, it would be much faster than if we went one at a time. Besides, we have nothing to hide from one another. We are the same person."  
  
"I think it's just weird." Sakura K. muttered as she prepared to step into the large shower. "But I guess you're right." She turned to the rather large shower and sighed. While her sister put the towels, the lighter twin took off her top and jeans, revealing her bra and panties. Just as she tried to take off the bra, Sakura S. reached into the shower to turn it on. Just as Sakura K removed it, Sakura S. looked up. and smirked.  
  
"You really are weird, you know that?" she asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" the lighter twin asked while getting rid of the rest of her clothes and stepped inside. Although the pounding water distorted the darker twin's voice, she could still hear her.  
  
"I mean that. I was supposed to be created like some psycho, bent on killing people. Just look at Ryu."  
  
"So?" Sakura K. asked while lathering up a washcloth and letting the warm water wet up her hair and bare body.  
  
"I'm saying that something happened. somewhere along the line and I came out like a twin instead of a real evil side."  
  
"Did you want to be a murderer?"  
  
A pause from the other side of the curtain before the darker twin answered.  
  
"Well. I didn't think about it that way. On one side of the issue it's not exactly natural. but personally I'm glad. I can't really picture killing anyone just because."  
  
"And the Bison thing?" Sakura K. continued the questions and rubbing the soap-covered cloth along her body.  
  
"I had no choice. Besides."  
  
At that moment, an arm reached from out the back of the shower and touched Sakura's butt, making her jump.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Sakura S. laughed as she stepped in, ending her previous statement. "I like this. I can actually have a life; a REAL one. Besides, you always wanted a sister just like you. Remember when you kept saying that once Tsukushi turned 6 and he started to know how to get on your nerves?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Looks like your wish came true." the darker twin ended while washing the dirt off her skin. Sakura K. stared at her for a while and smiled. She was right. Her wish did come true. After a few seconds, both just concentrated on getting clean. but Sakura K. had an idea.  
  
"Hey, sis."  
  
"What?" she asked while facing her. to meet a fingertip full of soap on her nose. She gasped then looked at the lighter twin giggle at her.  
  
"Yeah. I always wanted to do that to my sis, remember?"  
  
"Yeah. and you also wanted to do THIS!"  
  
The darker twin grabber the lighter one by the head and put her in a headlock beside her, making her come face to face with the running water.  
  
"H-hey!" Sakura K. sputtered while laughing through the shower. After about a second, she had another idea. She reached over. and tickled her sister right on the breast. That broke the hold, making the Satsu twin burst laughing.  
  
"That's not fair, sis!" she yelled. "We KNOW that we're ticklish!"  
  
"Duh! That's why I did that and this, too!"  
  
Now the lighter twin used both hands to continue the ticklefest, making her sister slump to the ceramic floor in laughter. She tried to continue but Sakura S. used her arms to block it and counter with her own tickles. Instantly the original sputtered in laughter. They kept this up for another 5 minutes before remembering that they were supposed to eat and stopped the shower.  
  
"You know, I think I'm going to like having a sis," Sakura K. started while reaching for a towel. "There's just one thing."  
  
"What's that?" the darker twin asked, just getting out the shower.  
  
"Mom and Dad."  
  
"Oh. Well, let's worry about that when it happens."  
  
"Yeah. I guess."  
  
----- -----  
  
"What in the world are you doing, Darrell? We have to go already!"  
  
Darrell put a hand on the bathroom door. "I know. but I got to go to the bathroom. I'll be out in a few seconds. I promise!"  
  
It took a lot more than a few seconds. Just as Darrell opened the door and entered the bathroom, the Sakura twins were just coming out the bathroom. They made eye contact. and all three immediately stopped in their tracks. Darrell was staring at both Sakuras, who were wearing nothing but bath towels. They were still wet from the shower. All three blushed severely, sweatdropped. then all that could be heard within a five block radius of the hotel was.:  
  
".AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
Followed by a very small.: "Uh. excuse me.?"  
  
End of Chapter 11 


	12. Hinata's Problem

11. Hinata's Problem  
  
"Okay, Hinata, I know that this conversation should have happened when I first met you back in Tokyo, but tell me. How are things at Taiyo High?"  
  
Hinata put down the cheeseburger that she had already half eaten and replied, "Ever since we stopped Hyo and Justice High burned to the ground, everything has been really peaceful. The schools went back to where they were before and Batsu, Kyosuke, and I were promoted to the third grade."  
  
Nijel gave a look of confusion. "The third grade? Uh. aren't you way too old to be there?"  
  
Hinata smiled. "The way Japanese schools operate is very different from America. The third grade in Japan high schools is like being a junior in American high schools."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Darrell treated everyone to lunch at a nearby McDonald's. Since he was pretty embarrassed by seeing the twins completely naked (save for the towels), he took the liberty of doing whatever they asked for the rest of the day. including paying for their massive order.  
  
{I don't believe this, Darrell thought to himself. Two Big Macs, two super- sized fries, 40 nuggets, two large sodas, and mozzarella sticks. That alone cost me over $40. and I had to order my own food! At least I have a job. or rather "had" a job.}  
  
"So. where is Hyo Imawano now?" Darrell asked curiously.  
  
Hinata stopped eating and stared into Darrell's eyes.  
  
"He's dead."  
  
There was a long silence surrounding the table. No one ate anything else until Darrell said, "I take it that Kyosuke didn't handle it very well, did he?"  
  
Hinata shook her head. "Kyosuke took a leave of absence from school for three weeks. Once we found out that he was participating in the Mark of the Millennium tournament, Batsu, Sakura, and I followed him."  
  
"Hmm. Interesting therapy. I really don't want to know how well he did."  
  
Darrell turned his attention to the Sakura twins, who were gouging their food down. {I never seen them eat like that.} he thought, sweatdropping again.  
  
"Are you two enjoying yourselves?" he asked.  
  
Sakura S. swallowed whatever she had in her mouth and nodded before returning to her buffet.  
  
{Man! They're worse than Nijel.}  
  
Even Nijel had to stop and stare at the rate the two were engulfing their food. Darrell shook his head and continued his conversation with Hinata.  
  
"So Hinata. How about your family? Were they. concerned about our trip like our parents?"  
  
Hinata looked up again, giving Darrell a skeptical look. "I'm surprised that you would spark a conversation with me all of a sudden."  
  
Darrell raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"I'm saying that you have been concerned about Sakura K. a lot."  
  
Darrell grabbed his soda, took a sip, then said, "Like you weren't? Hinata- "  
  
"What?"  
  
"You were never the type to get jealous. I have noticed that you haven't been very energetic lately."  
  
"What do you mean 'not energetic'?"  
  
"I'm saying that you haven't been your usual perky self. I'm not saying anything else about that."  
  
"Hmm. now that you think about it."  
  
"What is the problem? Really."  
  
Hinata didn't reply automatically. Darrell finally finished his food off and stared right into her eyes. "Listen. do you want to go somewhere where we can talk?"  
  
Hinata nodded while also finishing her meal. "I guess that would be right."  
  
Both teenagers stood up from the table and threw their garbage in the garbage can next to them. "Can you two watch over Nijel for me? We'll be on. maybe a trolley."  
  
Sakura K. nodded. "We'll meet you there. Don't get on one before we get there!"  
  
Both Darrell and Hinata smiled as they left the restaurant.  
  
----- -----  
  
"So tell me. What's the problem?"  
  
Hinata sat by Darrell on a bench near a trolley depot. It was pretty crowded, but the two could hear each other very well. As Hinata sat down, she let out a breath of air.  
  
"Darrell. I. really have been jealous of you two."  
  
"Why? That's the thing I'm trying to understand."  
  
"You should look at you two. Even if you get your butt handed to you, Sakura always has your back. I just feel as if I'm to the side most of the time."  
  
Darrell immediately knew how Hinata was feeling. He was always the guy at the side of the road before he met Sakura, Hinata, Batsu and Kyosuke. He just looked down to the ground.  
  
"I'm. sorry," he said slowly. "I. wish I could have. known earlier."  
  
Hinata looked at the American. "I guess I can't blame her. A lot of things have happened to her, and this Sakura Satsu. I didn't show it, but I was REALLY jealous of her power. The way you three battle is just spectacular."  
  
"Are you trying to say that you are inferior to us? I really have to disagree with that one. You are a lot better than some of these scrubs out there." Darrell paused for a second then something gave him a great idea. "Hey! When we meet up with Ken, why don't you ask him for a sparring match? It will get your confidence up to where it's supposed to be."  
  
Hinata's eyes brightened. "You mean I can? You don't think the Sakuras are going to be mad about this?"  
  
"Come on. listen to yourself! You never acted like this when I first met you. Brighten up why don't ya? If anything, Sakura and I have been in too many battles. My aura is still pretty tired from the explosion back in Thailand."  
  
Hinata giggled. "Yeah. you really killed that tree."  
  
"That's more like it!" Darrell cheered. He gave Hinata a friendly punch to her shoulder and Hinata returned the favor.  
  
"Now. don't you feel better now that we had this little talk?"  
  
"Sure do! Come on! We should go back to the McDonald's. Those three might have heartburn."  
  
Darrell and Hinata were about to get up off the bench, but was cut off by four men in blue jeans. The one looking down at them had on a white bandanna that covered his hair. He was sort of light-skinned, and he wore his long tee-shirt like it was an apron. The others were basically following suit. So much for American fashion, Hinata thought.  
  
"Hey," the light-skinned man started, "we need some help and we were hoping that you two can help us."  
  
Neither Darrell nor Hinata responded.  
  
"You see. we were about to use the trolley to head downtown. and unfortunately we are short on cash. Do you mind." he reached into his pocket. and pulled out a small automatic gun and pointed it right at the two. ".coughing up all the money you got? Things won't get ugly if you cooperate."  
  
To the man's surprise, Darrell just dropped his head and chuckled. "Oh, man. I guess you want our tourist money, huh?"  
  
The man held his gun steadily at Darrell's head. "Do you have a ton of wax in your ears man!? That is what I've been telling you to cough up!"  
  
Darrell jerked his head up and stared straight up at the gunman, holding up his right fist. It was then that he whispered the word that he hadn't used in a long time.  
  
"Shakunetsuken."  
  
To the gunman's shock, he jumped away as the kid's fist shot into flames. "What the.? Who are you?" he asked.  
  
"Humph! I'm the guy who is going to kick your ass for trying to rob my friend and me. Hey, Hinata!"  
  
Hinata looked at Darrell. "What is it?"  
  
"You don't mind teaching these guys a lesson, do you? It would be a nice start up for you."  
  
For the first time today, a smile crossed her face. 'Let's do this!"  
  
As the two got up from the bench, the gunman raised his gun straight at Darrell's head. "Take one more step to me. and you'll regret it for the last 5 seconds of your life!"  
  
Darrell responded with an icy glare. "You are such a coward. It's not like a man to carry a gun with him to rob teenagers."  
  
"Roberto.," one of the man's lackeys said cautiously. "These guys might know some of that kung-fu stuff. Maybe we shouldn't mess with them-"  
  
Roberto swung his head around. "Listen! All three of you! I never back away from a hit and this won't be the time that I start.! Hey, what's with you guys?"  
  
Roberto saw his gang buddies, who had large expressions of fear on their faces. "Uh. look behind you."  
  
He turned around. and came face to face with the two teenagers that were wearing evil grins. He froze in terror and shock.  
  
"Hi. Roberto." both of them said evilly as they wound up and blasted Roberto in the face and chest with two powerful punches. Roberto was sent flying into the street, nearly missing a running car and landing on the other side of the street. The other gang members just looked at their leader then looked back at the two and slowly backed away. "Hm. You're nothing like the Roberto I know," Hinata said to the now KO'ed body of the robber before looking at the retreat.  
  
"Yeah. that's right. back away," Darrell said coldly. "You don't want any trouble from us."  
  
That was it. The three guys ran at full speed in the other direction. When they were out of sight Hinata asked, "So. you feel like heading back?"  
  
Darrell only nodded and both started walking back up the hill to the McDonalds.  
  
----- -----  
  
"OKAY, EVERYBODY!! I WANT EVERYBODY TO HIT THE GROUND AND MAKE WITH ALL THE MONEY YOU GOT! DON'T ANYONE TRY TO BE A HERO OR YOU ARE GOING TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO GET A CAP WHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE!"  
  
A bunch of men, wearing nothing but black, barged into the doors of the McDonalds with handguns. All the people in the restaurant instantly dropped to the ground, fearing for their lives. Some whimpering could be heard in certain sections of the room, catching the head guy's attention.  
  
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR A SOUND COMING FROM ANYBODY IN HERE!"  
  
The man was treated to silence for a few seconds. that is until.  
  
"You know. you are way too loud to be in a public restaurant like that. If you want some food, just get in the line. but it seems that you came here for the wrong reason. at the wrong place. at the wrong time."  
  
The man saw three young kids come out from behind a pole. Two of them were teenage girl twins of Japanese decent, one with much darker skin than the other. The last one was a kid, literally. He was an African, heavy set, and looked like he just gotten off a good meal.  
  
"Didn't I say not to be a hero?" the man asked loudly, pointing his gun at the middle of the three, which was the darker twin. "Now I got to make an example out of you three."  
  
The tanned girl just smiled wickedly. "Not likely."  
  
"Why you."  
  
BANG!  
  
The sound of the man's gun going off could be heard throughout the McDonald's. The bullet went zooming across the room and hit the girl square in the forehead. that is. if that was really her.  
  
"What the.!?"  
  
The gunman saw many images of the Japanese teenager where he shot her. and they suddenly floated straight at him.  
  
"What?!?"  
  
"Over here, stupid!"  
  
He spun around. and got nailed in the face with a mighty blow, making him drop his weapon. He went straight to the floor.  
  
"Why you little punk!" one of the other men screamed as he and three others started firing at the girl, but once again, she warped out of the way.  
  
"Aren't you guys forgetting something?" she asked as she got out her warp while pointing past them. They all turned their gazes and were put out of their misery by two large blasts of energy. One was a massive blue wave of energy that flew through the air and the other was a purple, electric title wave.  
  
"Eat this!" the other two yelled out as their blasts connected, sending the assailants to the ground.  
  
"You."  
  
The first gunman got to his feet, staring at the dark-skinned girl. He clenched his fist with anger, but even before he could take a step, he was hit in the back of the head by a punch from the youngest kid.  
  
"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" he asked as he followed with an uppercut to the back of the man's ribs, then knocked him back with another strong punch. The man went stumbling to the lighter of the two twins, who shot into the air and, while spinning like a top, kicked him three times, knocking him to the darker twin.  
  
"Finish this!" the two shouted at the dark twin. She smiled while grabbing him from the back, jumping over his head, and kicked him across the alley leading up to the exit. He went crashing over his gun buddies, falling backwards to hit the glass door. if it wasn't for the fact that two other teenagers opened the door. and they wound up.  
  
"Boy voyage!" the boy said mockingly, then..  
  
"GYAAH!"  
  
"TYAH!"  
  
The man's back was totaled by an insanely strong knuckle from the boy and a leaning double fisted punch from the girl. He was finally knocked unconscious and landed on top of the pile of bodies.  
  
"And I thought that we had problems," Hinata, the girl that walked in, said while walking over to the others.  
  
"Someone tried to rob you guys at the trolley?" Nijel, the youngest fighter, asked.  
  
Darrell, the other teenager that walked in, nodded. "They were nothing but punks. They ran right when we knocked out their leader."  
  
"Humph! So you two did a lot more than talking." Sakura Kasugano, the lighter of the twins, said while giggling a bit.  
  
"Ah, shut up, Sakura." Hinata shot back. She turned to the darker twin. "Sakura S.. I'm guessing that you played a role in this beating, huh?"  
  
Sakura Satsu just smiled while crossing her arms. "Don't even try to flatter me, Hinata. It will get you nowhere."  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
All five fighters turned to what appeared as the manager of the place.  
  
"I would like to thank each and every one of you for keeping the well-being of every soul in this restaurant safe from those guys. They tried to rob us once before and were successful. How can this McDonald's every repay you?"  
  
Darrell put a hand on his chin. "Speaking of pay. heh, heh, heh."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Can you believe it?" Nijel exclaimed as the group exited the burger restaurant. "5 thousand bucks!"  
  
"Don't worry about a thing, brother," Darrell said while flipping through the money. "Some of this will be spent very well."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
In front of the young fighters was a man in his twenties, wearing a black shirt, brown leather jacket and black jeans. He had blond hair that went down his back in a ponytail. It didn't take anyone two seconds before recognizing who it was, especially the Sakuras.  
  
"Ken!?" Sakura K. asked in disbelief. Ken just nodded.  
  
"What's up? Listen, I saw you five put on a great show in there and was wondering if you guys wanted to come with me to my estate. It's a few miles from here, but you'll be there in no time in my limo."  
  
"Sure!" Hinata answered hastily.  
  
As everyone made their way to Ken's limo, the authorities were rushing past them to the McDonalds, ready to arrest the gunmen. While they were doing that, Ken turned around and asked Sakura K., "Say. how badly did you hurt those guys?"  
  
Sakura K. just giggled. "Well, let's just say that they got what they deserved."  
  
End of Chapter 12 


	13. Master of the Fist

13. The Master of the Fist  
  
"Please tell me that I'm dreaming. PLEASE tell me that I'm dreaming."  
  
"Okay, you're dreaming."  
  
"Thanks for the sarcasm, Sakura K."  
  
"You got to admit; this is pretty impressive."  
  
The closer the group got to Ken's estate, the more Darrell's jaw dropped. The place was HUGE! The white looked pretty big from where they were at (which was a good 1/4th of the way there). It was surrounded by around 7 acres of grassfield and statues. As they came up to the front doors, Hinata said, "Not even Kyosuke's place compares to this."  
  
"Okay, you guys," Ken started. "You can get out here. As you know, this is the front door to my humble home, and yes, I know it's huge. When you go in, there'll be a directory to tell you where you want to go. Just don't head to the Master Bedroom. it a bit. untidy."  
  
Everyone nodded in agreement.  
  
"I'll be back in a few. I got to. get some things. for Eliza." He started looking around very cautiously.  
  
"Is there a problem?" Sakura K. asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"Who's Eliza, Ken?" Darrell asked this time. "Is she your daughter or something?"  
  
Ken shook his head. "No. she's my wife. Okay, gotta go!"  
  
When everyone got out the limo, it sped off immediately. The kids took a look of the exterior of Ken's mansion. It was big when you were far away from it. It was HUMUNGUOS when you saw it up close.  
  
"What are we waiting for?" Sakura S. asked anxiously while running up to the front door. "Let's go in, already!"  
  
----- -----  
  
"Okay." Darrell let out while inspecting the directory sign. "Hey, guys! He has his own little shops in the middle of this place, complete with an outdoor pool. Too bad I can't really swim."  
  
"Forget that," Sakura S. barged in. "I'm checking out the T.V. room. Knowing Ken, he has got to have some interesting channels."  
  
"I'm heading to his dojo," Hinata declared. "I want to stretch out some."  
  
Darrell took his eyes off the screen and put them on Hinata. "Hmm. now that you mention it, I do want to check that out."  
  
"I don't know about you guys," Sakura K. started, "but I'm going to look around. This place is too big to just look at a directory."  
  
"Suit yourself," Darrell responded. "If you get lost, just remember to look for the breadcrumbs on the floor."  
  
Sakura K. gave him a rather stupid look. "You are just trying to make me laugh, huh?"  
  
Darrell didn't respond. He just turned his back to her in the direction of the dojo. "Hinata and I are going to hit the dojo. You guys do what you want." He looked down to his little brother. "Where are you doing, kid?"  
  
"I'm going to the T.V. room with Sakura," he replied while not looking up. "The hotel channels all stink."  
  
They all disbursed at the same time on their own designations.  
  
----- -----  
  
Sakura S. and Nijel just stood in awe in front of a 54" T.V. like it was a god. Never in their lives have they seen such a tool, and in a few minutes, they will be graced with its picture and super surround sound.  
  
"So, Nijel," Sakura S. said to Nijel, "you like anime?"  
  
Nijel just nodded in agreement, making the girl smile.  
  
"That's perfect. We can check out the anime channel from Japan. Ken has a true satellite network!"  
  
Sakura S. and Nijel were in what looked like a mini movie theatre, complete with the red chairs, aisles, and dim lights. She was holding a massive controller with what seemed like it had 100 buttons on it. After about 30 seconds of searching, she finally found the buttons that she was looking for and pressed them.  
  
Instantly, the room was blinded with a white flash of light. and the sound of Outlaw Star's Gene Starwind talking to one of McDougall brothers filled the room. The two plopped down into some seats and started to enjoy the anime.  
  
"Come on, McDougall," Gene ordered Harry, holding him by the shirt collar. "What's your business with Malfena!? Tell me!!"  
  
Harry just laughed in his face. "Even if I tell you. you would be too dense to understand it."  
  
Gene got fed up and shoved a Caster gun to Harry's head. "Let me be the judge of that."  
  
"Hey," Nijel said. "I never saw this episode before."  
  
"Where have you been?" Sakura S. asked. "I saw this many times before back in Tokyo. It's a real---"  
  
SHING!!!  
  
Sakura S. gasped as a huge feeling came over her, paralyzing her. She couldn't move. The feeling was just too strong. {What. what's going on?}  
  
"Hey. are you OK?" Nijel asked, worried.  
  
Sakura S. couldn't reply. She just sat there, stiff as stone. then before she knew it, she went out like a light.  
  
----- -----  
  
Sakura K. turned her head from left to right, checking out the rooms and paintings in the corridor she was walking through. The paintings and sculptures all had an exotic and tropical felling to it. It made Sakura K. rather relaxed. She smiled. {Ken sure has some interesting tastes.} She stopped in front of one picture in particular and observed it. It was a setting of a Japanese lake and waterfall. There was a small fog at the base of the waterfall and the sky was white, as if it was about to rain.  
  
Sakura K. stared at it for a while. {Hmm. normally I wouldn't waste my time with art, but there is something about this one. like there is. something familiar about it...}  
  
She moved in for a closer look. then.  
  
SHING!!!  
  
Suddenly, something came over Sakura K.'s body. She let out a small shriek when she found out that her body wouldn't move.  
  
"What's with this??" she asked, amazed. then she blacked out.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Hmm. pretty cozy. for a dojo."  
  
Darrell and Hinata finally made it to Ken's dojo within 10 minutes. It was all the way on the other side of the mansion, and they were pretty tired of walking.  
  
Hinata crossed her arms. "Come on, Darrell. I'm ready whenever you are."  
  
Darrell nodded and the two of them stepped towards the middle of the wooden room. They both took a look at the Japanese signs that were hung up on the walls. Hinata stretched her arms above her head.  
  
"Ah. there is never a good workout like a sparring match," she commented. She eyeballed Darrell with a cocky smile and he got the message.  
  
"Oh. you wanted to get it on, huh? Well then." Darrell backed away from his friend and got into his fighting stance. ".I hope you're ready, because I'm not holding back!"  
  
"Like you ever?" Hinata asked while getting into her own stance. The two stood each other down, about to start their exhibition match.  
  
"Okay," Hinata yelled out. "Here I come!"  
  
Hinata dashed forward and Darrell switched to a defensive stance.  
  
SHING!!!  
  
"What the.!?" Darrell gasped. The two were frozen in their positions just before they could start. Darrell struggled to break free from this new hold, but this one was way too strong for him.  
  
"I. can't. move." Hinata cried out. just before. they both saw blackness.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Ohh. What. happened?"  
  
Sakura K. found herself lying down in a large grass field. As she opened her eyes, she was trying to put together the puzzle of what just happened. She sat up and put a hand on her head, which was hurting like there was no tomorrow.  
  
".damn! I can't remember anything."  
  
She shook her head hard and looked around. The sky was full of dark gray clouds and besides that, there was nothing but grass. and.  
  
Sakura squinted her eyes in the area in front of her. {Who. is that.?}  
  
She got to her feet and walked forward in a small daze that she couldn't seem to shake. As she got closer, she started to recognize who it was. or really whom they were. Sakura K. stopped a few inches away from the bodies. and gasped.  
  
"These are. the guys!"  
  
She was staring at Hinata, Darrell, and her twin, Sakura S. on the ground, all unconscious. What was interesting was that Sakura S. and Hinata were in their school fukus and Darrell was once again wearing his blue jeans with the white shirt. Sakura K. looked down at herself and gasped. She was wearing her school uniform as well, which she was very clear of not wearing before.  
  
{What.?}  
  
Before thinking about it, Sakura K. bent down and shook Hinata vigorously.  
  
"Hinata.! Come on and wake up!"  
  
After about 5 seconds, Sakura K. heard Hinata groaning.  
  
"Yes! You're up!"  
  
Hinata opened her eyes halfway, staring weakly in her friend's eyes. "Wha. Sakura? What are you doing here?" She turned her head to look around. then her eyes sprung open. "Where am I?"  
  
Sakura K. backed up as Hinata sat up. "I have no idea." Sakura answered. "I just woke up a few minutes ago."  
  
Hinata whipped her head from side to side. then downward. and gasped. "Those are."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Let's get them up."  
  
Within a minute, the other two fighters were up.  
  
". well. I guess I had better days." Darrell muttered under his breath. He looked up to Hinata and Sakura K. and said, "You know. after being knocked out for about 3 times. you think you get used to the pounding headache and the dizziness."  
  
"I know." Sakura S. responded.  
  
"Can this be Bison again?" Hinata asked.  
  
Sakura S. shook her head. "No. it can't be. I personally killed him." She suddenly felt a presence. "Whatever this is. it is definitely not Psycho Power."  
  
"What is it then?" Sakura K. asked her twin.  
  
Sakura S. stood up and closed her eyes. Everything was quiet for about 10 seconds as she tried to identify this new malice. After the 10 seconds, her eyes shot open, and they didn't look very pleased.  
  
"I. I don't believe it!"  
  
"What's the problem?" Sakura K. asked shakily.  
  
Her twin slowly turned her head with a big look of fear on her face. "It's. it's. Dark Hadou."  
  
"WHAT??"  
  
POW!!  
  
"Gyaaaaahh!"  
  
Darrell's eyes widened to their extreme and he was letting out cries of pain. Before anyone could react to Sakura S's evaluation, a man came out of nowhere and slammed his fist into his ribcage so hard that Darrell stated to cough up some blood. The figure then backed away, letting Darrell drop to his knees in pain as he held his stomach with both hands.  
  
"Pathetic. he still can't sense me."  
  
The man had the same dark skin as Sakura S., and he was wearing a black gi held up by a rope where the traditional belt was supposed to be at. His red hair stood on end and was held up at the top by some type of hold. Even creepier was the fact that his ridiculously strong aura and his eyes were totally blood red.  
  
"Who. who are you?" Sakura K. asked hesitantly.  
  
"Who am I? Fool! I'm the supreme master of the fist! I am Akuma!"  
  
"That's what I was sensing." Sakura S. noticed. She started to ball her hand into a fist.  
  
"I am surprised at you, little one," Akuma said in a low tone to Sakura K. "Your dark side in completely out of your body. Yet, that will make you weaker than you already are! And you." He turned his attention to Sakura S., who took a step backwards. "You are a disgrace to the Satsu power that runs through you! Using that power to not kill just makes you as weak at the rest!"  
  
"You. bastard."  
  
Akuma turned his gaze to the American, who was slowly getting up off the grass, one arm on his stomach. His red-orange aura surrounded his body once again as he stood and his eyes was filled with rage.  
  
"You. are the. one. who attacked me. in my other dream." he struggled to get the words out through his pain. "I. don't care what your name is. but. I'll get my revenge."  
  
"I cracked your ribs, boy. You shouldn't say things that you will regret. with you life."  
  
"Ah, shut up!"  
  
Darrell took his arm off his stomach and put it to his side. He focused himself and over time, his aura grew in power.  
  
"You still don't get it." Akuma muttered.  
  
"What is there to get? I'm going to whip your ass all over this grass field and you're going to enjoy it!"  
  
"With that pathetic excuse for a fighting style!? You are wasting my time!"  
  
"Come on."  
  
Darrell got into his fighting position, but before he or any of his friends knew it, Akuma disappeared. Not again. and I can't sense which way he's coming from.  
  
"Where did he go?" Hinata asked as Darrell searched left and right for the dark warrior.  
  
"He...," Sakura S. sputtered, catching Darrell's attention.  
  
"He's where?"  
  
She just pointed up... Darrell followed the glance. and was struck with so much force that he didn't even know where he was. Akuma came down with a swift hand strike from the sky, causing a wave of energy to spread across the grass. Darrell's aura immediately vanished from the force of the blow. He was just frozen in place, staring at Akuma. then he let out, in such a weak, tiny voice that if there was a rustle in the wind that no one could have heard him.  
  
"Wh. why?"  
  
He dropped to his knees. his arms hanging limp at his sides. then he fell forward and hit the grass face first. He no longer moved.  
  
"No. way." Sakura K. was speechless. Absolutely speechless. "He. knocked out. Darrell. in one hit. Impossible."  
  
Akuma finally took his eyes off his foe and turned to Hinata. "You are next."  
  
Hinata just stared at him in disbelief. {I don't believe it. Darrell is one of the best out there. If he was knocked out in one blow. then what is my chance?}  
  
"Why do you hesitate?" Akuma asked as his Satsu aura grew even more than normal. "Do you realize that this is your chance to see just how weak you are?"  
  
Hinata didn't respond. She was stupefied for another 5 seconds before she shook it off.  
  
"You are truly weak."  
  
"I won't let you get to Sakura like that," Hinata heard herself say. She was running on pure adrenaline, now. She knew that she couldn't even faze him if she tried, but if he gets to the Sakura twins.  
  
She dropped to her fighting stance, but to her surprise, Akuma just smiled. Before she could say anything, he vanished again. Hinata immediately looked up to see if he was there, trying that knockout move again.  
  
"Fool!"  
  
{From behind!}  
  
Hinata couldn't react in time. The back of her skull was smashed by Akuma's punch, sending her to her hands and knees. She tried to shake off the initial dizziness, but that never happened.  
  
"You are even weaker than the African!"  
  
BANG!!  
  
The back of Hinata's skull now met the overwhelming force of Akuma's heel. She was sent to the ground. and didn't get back up.  
  
"Shoushi."  
  
"STOP THIS!!!"  
  
Akuma turned his body to where the two Sakuras were. Each one was steaming mad, their aura flurrying off their bodies.  
  
"You have done more than enough, Akuma!" Sakura S. yelled out. "If you want to fight someone, then we'll take you on."  
  
"Oh. the twins. You two are definitely unique. just like Ryu."  
  
The "Ryu" stopped both Sakuras from charging up any farther.  
  
"What about Ryu?" Sakura K. demanded.  
  
"You are just like him." Akuma started as he made his way to the two. "His Satsu energy is stronger than yours. and I beat him with no problem."  
  
"You mean."  
  
Akuma had a wicked smile on his face. "Yes. The fool constantly trains for the day for he can avenge the death of his master. but he still can even control his essence! I fought him in both of his forms, normal and evil, and he still doesn't compare! What makes you think that you can beat me!?"  
  
The two were speechless. They have never met someone as strong as Akuma. They had their work cut out for them.  
  
Sakura K. looked straight into Akuma's eyes. He just looked back at her. then disappeared again.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You DON'T LEARN!!"  
  
Akuma's fist hammered Sakura K., but unlike the other attacks, he went straight to her face and bashed it open. Sakura K. stumbled backwards from the blow, holding a hand over it to stop the nosebleed.  
  
"Messatsu!"  
  
Sakura K. immediately looked over her hand and screamed out loud at a huge blast of purple energy slammed right into her body. She was engulfed in the blast. then it exploded. and she went flying backwards a good five feet before hitting the ground. Her lights were out.  
  
"YOU!!" Sakura S. yelled to Akuma. She wasn't thinking anymore. She only reacted. and the first reaction was. the Shungokusatsu.  
  
She got into her stance and, unlike the one she did on Bison, she was much faster as she sped towards Akuma.  
  
"You won't get away from me!"  
  
Sakura S. got to within an inch of Akuma and prepared to make the grab, but the worst thing happened at that time. Akuma used the Ashura Warp to go right behind her.  
  
"He can teleport. right out of my move!?"  
  
"Oseru!"  
  
Sakura S. spun around and met Akuma face to face. She looked into his blood red eyes. was paralyzed. and knew that she was a goner. Akuma wasn't going to hold back. He was going to use the real Shungokusatsu on her. and she was going to die.  
  
He grabbed her by the shoulders. She was expecting pain. but instead Akuma whispered to her, "Be lucky that this isn't real. or this would be the end of your miserable life. I will be waiting for you, however. I suggest you and your friends get stronger. or else the next time we meet. you won't be with the living. Time to say 'goodnight'."  
  
And finally everything faded to black. Sakura S. was met with an unearthly force of pain as Akuma used his Shungokusatsu on her. All she felt was the pain. until she passed out from it.  
  
----- -----  
  
Sakura S. work up screaming. She had never had such a thing happen to her before. It took a while before she stopped. and realized that she was no longer in room with the big screen television or in the grass field where Akuma was. She was surrounded by wood. with Japanese signs. and guessed where she was.  
  
"The. Ken's dojo."  
  
She tried to sit up. but her whole body instantly shot in pain. She winced as she laid back down. {But how.? I thought that it was a dream. Maybe it was. put the pain was real.}  
  
Sakura S. was suddenly interrupted by a scream of pain coming from her right. She sat up while ignoring the pain and saw Darrell roll over, grabbing his ribs.  
  
"Gyah.! That son of a bitch.! Nnnyyahh!"  
  
"Try not to move," Sakura S. instructed.  
  
Darrell stopped on a dime and without looking back, asked, "Sakura.?"  
  
"Yes. it's me. Listen. That dream I had. Could it be that you had it too?"  
  
"Right. This is so lame! He didn't just beat me in one strike. but he killed me. again. And this time, the pain was for real."  
  
He finally relaxed and laid flat on his back, breathing hard. He paused for about 5 seconds before continuing. "He keeps beating me even before I can think about making a move. I'm. I'm."  
  
Sakura S. wasn't right next to Darrell, but she could see the hurt look on his face. and his watery eyes.  
  
"I'm no match. for him."  
  
Sakura S. remained mute for 3 seconds then said, "I don't think anyone is a match for him. Just before he knocked me out, he mentioned."  
  
Sakura S. fell on her back because of the constant state of pain she was trying to endure. She stared up at the roof and finished her sentence. "He mentioned that he beat Ryu. both in normal and in Satsu. He's. too strong for us. He even evaded my Shungokusatsu like it was a normal punch. then he retaliated with the. real. one."  
  
Everything was quiet for a few more seconds. Sakura S. started to sob a bit. "The worst thing is. that he said that he'll be back. for real."  
  
Darrell sighed heavily. The next words that came out of his mouth totally stunned Sakura S.  
  
"That does it. It was good for the long run. but I think its time to say goodbye to these."  
  
Sakura S. looked on in shock as Darrell reached into his pocket and took out his blue handguards. He just held them out in front of him for a while then threw them behind his back. They landed with a thud on the wooded floor.  
  
"Darrell. Does this mean.?"  
  
Darrell turned his head to Sakura S., his eyes full of sorrow. "Listen. Street Fighting is pretty exciting. but taking it to a fight of this caliber is just dangerous. or even worse. I'm sorry, but I'm not willing to lose my life."  
  
Disbelief filled Sakura S. I can't believe he's giving up fighting.  
  
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" she asked.  
  
"Sakura. there are times when you have to realize that there are people stronger than you can ever be. This is one of those times. I'm totally outclassed, here. If I tried to fight him, he'll kill me. and that will be the time that I WON'T wake up."  
  
"But. what about all that work that we went through? All that power stored inside you. and you are going out on a limb? Have you ever stopped to think that you haven't reached full potential yet. or that Akuma might come after you even if you choose not to fight him? He'll still kill you."  
  
Darrell stared at Sakura S. What she was saying made sense. If Akuma does find him. and he isn't in fighting condition. then he is as good as dead. And what if he could push himself over the limit to reach a new plateau? He could beat him. or even better. but there was something on his mind.  
  
"Sakura. what are you planning to do?" he asked the dark girl.  
  
Sakura just looked up to the ceiling again. "Honestly. I want to become stronger. Behind the fear that I experienced. there was something hidden that I didn't feel until now. A feeling that there is a challenge out there to look up to. Did you notice that excluding Yun and Yang that we beat everyone that challenged us fairly easily? Even when my sister fought Sagat, she didn't feel challenged all the way. Although when we talk about it with her and Hinata she won't think so automatically, but deep down."  
  
"I see."  
  
"So I think we should take this time to train harder than we ever did. We don't know when Akuma will appear, so we need to be prepared. and you need to think positively about this. Think about it. You are the only fighter that we know with such a unique power and talent. You are one of the better fighters in the world and we could use your help more than ever now. Don't let this setback ruin your spirit."  
  
Darrell suddenly remembered the conversation that he had with Hinata earlier today near the trolley. There was a specific part of it that stood out.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"I guess I can't blame her," Hinata confessed. "A lot of things have happened to her and this Sakura Satsu. I didn't show it, but I was REALLY jealous of her power. The way you three battle is just spectacular."  
  
"Are you trying to say that you are inferior to us? I really have to disagree with that one. You are a lot better than some of these scrubs out there." Darrell paused for a second then something gave him a great idea. "Hey! When we meet up with Ken, why don't you ask him for a sparring match? I will get your confidence up to where it's supposed to be."  
  
Hinata's eyes brightened. "You mean I can? You don't think the Sakuras are going to be mad about this?"  
  
"Come on. listen to yourself! You never acted like this when I first met you. Brighten up why don't ya?..."  
  
-End Flashback-  
  
Darrell sat up and stared at the wall in front of him. {That is like what this is. I'm in Hinata's position and Sakura S. is in mine. but instead of jealously, my problem is underconfidence. I need to brighten up some.}  
  
"Okay, Sakura," he finally said. "I'll go on with this. I think we can get better than we already are. Wait a minute. Where are Sakura K. and Hinata?"  
  
Sakura S. smiled. "They are right over here. They are still unconscious, but they should be coming to in any minute, now. Oh, and one more thing. your ribs aren't cracked. It's just pain."  
  
"How could you possibly know?"  
  
"Well, deduction, really. If this was real pain, then I would be dead by now. Akuma ended the dream by nailing the Shungokusatsu on me, and unlike the one that I have his is the original. He would have killed me."  
  
Darrell and Sakura S. stood up at the same time, their bodies still aching from the Akuma encounter. Just before they got to the other girls, Darrell stopped.  
  
"Sakura."  
  
"Yes.?"  
  
"Should we tell Ken about this?"  
  
Sakura S. stood motionless suddenly. "Oh, man! I forgot about Ken! I guess we will have to. He needs to tell us where Ryu is."  
  
Sakura S. just nodded as they bent down and started to revive them. The next day would be a new start for the Sakuras, Hinata, and Darrell. This time. their lives depend on it. End of Chapter 13 


	14. Sparring 3: Preparing for Kyoto

14. Sparring 3: Preparing for Kyoto  
  
"So that's all of it in a nutshell, Ken," Sakura K. finished her story. "We need to know where Ryu is. I know he could help, somehow."  
  
"I understand your situation," Ken started, "but this is a bit much for you guys. I mean, that covers the sudden burst of training by you four, but you won't be able to find out how good you are unless you try your strength in battle. This Akuma guy is really powerful. but I think I can help you in more ways than one."  
  
"How is that?" Hinata asked.  
  
Ken flashed a smile while drinking his soda. "First off, I'll go with you to Kyoto."  
  
"Why Kyoto?" Sakura K. asked.  
  
"That is where Ryu said he would be training at. Luckily, he gave me his exact location, and he said that he would be staying there for about 4 months to train himself. He'll be there."  
  
Both Sakura's eyes lit up. "Finally!" Sakura K. exclaimed. "Now I can see him for some tips."  
  
The group was in one of Ken's private restaurants near his pool, save for Nijel, who was playing with Ken's son, Mel. The teenagers took this time to talk about the incident a few days ago and their little adventure around the world. Ken just listened for the most part, but now he thought it was time to do something.  
  
"Okay, then," Darrell spoke up. "This is good. Very good. We should get going as fast as possible. We can't waste any time on this."  
  
"WAIT A MINUTE!!"  
  
"What the.?"  
  
As everyone turned their attention to the door, they were met by a Brazilian kid in yellow clothes. His hair was in braids and his expression was pretty harsh.  
  
"Hello, Sean," Ken greeted him as Sean walked toward their table.  
  
He stood right at the edge of the table and eyed everyone one at a time before finally landing on Ken.  
  
"Master," he started off, "are you going to Japan again?"  
  
"Yes, Sean," Ken responded. "These guys have some business to attend to with Ryu."  
  
"Ryu, huh? If you are going to see him then I'll come with. I need to see if he got any better."  
  
"Sean." Ken started, but he cut himself off. This might work in our favor, having Sean with us. We could use all the help we can get for this.  
  
"Were you about to say something?" Sean asked.  
  
"Yes. If you want to then you can come with. But I have to warn you, the risks that come with this little visit will be high."  
  
"Ken. I mean, master, you know that I don't know the meaning of the word, risk."  
  
Ken smiled somewhat. {That's why you fight so recklessly, though.}  
  
"Hmm."  
  
Darrell took a good look at Sean, inspecting him somewhat.  
  
"You know, personal space is a necessity." Sean scolded.  
  
Darrell immediately backed off. "Sorry. It is just that I wanted to see if you are ready for what is about to go down."  
  
"So you're saying that I'm not ready for what is going to happen?" Sean asked while raising his tone.  
  
"You could say that."  
  
Sean put his hands on his hips. "I should be saying the same to you. You don't even look half as good as me!"  
  
"My! Aren't we cocky today!" Darrell shot back.  
  
Sean growled. "Look who is talking!"  
  
"Boys."  
  
Sakura S. stepped in between the two fighters before they could go any farther.  
  
"The only way you two can prove each other is with to spar with each other."  
  
Sean turned his attention to the dark twin. "Good idea, Sakura." He whirled back to Darrell, whom had his arms crossed. "You heard the woman. Let's do this!"  
  
"Ladies first."  
  
Sean let out another growl as the two left out the restaurant. Ken was about to follow them, but Hinata held him back.  
  
"Ken. Can I ask for the pleasure of having a match with you?"  
  
Ken smiled. "Sure thing! I hope you are pretty good. and can handle a little fire."  
  
"Don't worry about that," Hinata replied. "I can handle fire."  
  
As Hinata and Ken walked out, Sakura K. turned to her twin. "You know. we never finished our little battle from the park."  
  
Sakura S. looked into Sakura K.'s eyes. "So. you are actually willing to fight me again?"  
  
Sakura K. responded by reaching into her jean pocket and pulling out her red handguards. The Satsu twin smiled while pulling out her black handguards.  
  
"This time it's for real," the original announced and just like the other guys, they went to the pool.  
  
----- -----  
  
Sean and Darrell stood each other down intensely. The tension was pretty thick. Each one of these young warriors had something to prove to one another.  
  
"Let's do this," Sean said while getting into his fighting stance.  
  
"Ready when you are," Darrell replied. There was another standoff. then both charged at each other. Once in range, Darrell started things of with a swinging right hook that Sean blocked using his left arm. Darrell followed with a spin kick, but Sean blocked and hit his opponent with an uppercut to the back. Darrell ignored the pain and spun around fully while crouching to sweep Sean. Sean didn't see it fast enough and hit the ground. He quickly rolled to the right and responded with a swift sidekick that Darrell parried in time.  
  
Seeing Sean's horrible recovery time, Darrell lunged forward and hit Sean in the head with a punch, sending him reeling. Darrell followed and started to follow up, but Sean ducked his attack.  
  
"Shoryu-Cannon!!"  
  
Sean jumped upwards with an uppercut, nailing Darrell in the jaw. Sean landed again, and then soared with another uppercut, hitting Darrell multiple times before sending him across the pool area to the ground.  
  
Darrell wiped his mouth and complimented with, "Nice move, Sean."  
  
Sean closed in. "Thanks. I'm flattered."  
  
Sean saw his opponent get to his feet. Darrell got into a unique stance. He held one of his hands behind him.  
  
"Now to try one out for size! Hadouken!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Darrell threw his hand forward and a normal Hadouken came out of his hand. {Reminds me of Dan.} Sean thought. {I bet it can't travel that far.}  
  
Sean was wrong. Darrell's One-Handed Hadouken went the same length as the normal Hadouken. Sean managed to dodge it just before it hit.  
  
"How did he.?"  
  
"Over here!"  
  
Sean looked up to see Darrell plant a fist into his face.  
  
"Rekka. Nakkara!!"  
  
Darrell unleashed his barrage at full speed, connecting every hit before going into the aerial finish, but unlike other fighters that fall on their backs, Sean recovered in mid-air. As both fighters landed on the ground, Sean asked, "How did you throw a Hadouken with one hand?"  
  
Darrell smiled. "It's a special talent. Now, let's keep going. I'm not done yet." {Ugh. That was horrible,} Darrell thought on a side note. {It was supposed to be a lot stronger. Oh, well. Looks like I'll have to wipe that from my movelist.}  
  
----- ------  
  
"Shoryuken!"  
  
"Shouyouken!"  
  
Hinata and Ken's uppercut attacks canceled each other out. As both fell to the ground, Ken performed a forward roll. Hinata saw this and tried to sweep him out of it, which she did. Ken landed face-first, but bounced back to recover faster than Hinata could react. Ken ducked down while making a fist.  
  
"Shoryureppa!"  
  
Ken hit Hinata dead-on with another Shoryuken, but unlike the other Shoryukens, he didn't lift off into the air. He quickly followed with another Shoryuken, sending Hinata backwards from the force. Ken didn't let her get away. His last Shoryuken covered the ground that separated them and to top it off, his fist was on fire for the final blow. Hinata let out some yelps as Ken finished his super move, letting Hinata drop on her back. As she struggled to get to her feet, Ken encouraged her.  
  
"Come on! You're doing great, kid! Let's keep going!"  
  
Hinata smiled. She realized that this was a sparring match, not a real one. Ken wasn't Akuma, so she could relax some. Hinata saw Ken lift his leg up for an overhead kick, but Hinata ditched it and grabbed Ken by the back. Hinata played a little leap frog over Ken then kicked him straight in the head. Ken was sent flying to the ground, but once again he got up quickly.  
  
"Nice one, but you are going to have to do more than that!"  
  
"Don't worry, Ken. I'm far from finished."  
  
"Okay, then. Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku!"  
  
Ken jumped into the air and stuck his leg out while spinning like a tornado. As he approached Hinata, he saw that she wasn't blocking. She was ducking.  
  
"Yahh!"  
  
Hinata waited until Ken was right above her, then she took off into the air, kicking at Ken with flaming kicks. Hinata didn't stop until she was about 10 feet up above the ground. Just like Ken's Shoryureppa, Hinata's Resen Enbukyaku left Ken on the ground.  
  
"How did you like that?" Hinata asked.  
  
"Pretty good, kid," Ken answered while sitting up, brushing himself off. "Once I get up, I'm coming back for you!"  
  
----- -----  
  
The Sakura twins were busy attacking and countering each other at high speed. Their pace didn't let up for the past 2 minutes, and both were getting pretty tired. They had been sparring for about 10 minutes now, but they forced themselves to keep it up. This was the only way they were going to improve.  
  
Sakura K. dodged a straight punch and returned with an uppercut. Sakura S. blocked it in time then performed her Shunpukyaku, but the lighter twin ditched at the last second.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Sakura K. performed a short jumping uppercut, but her sister jumped back and charged up some of her energy.  
  
"Hadouken!"  
  
Sakura K. saw the blue blast of energy and sidestepped it. Sakura S. saw her sister duck down and followed suit. Like mirror images, they both brought their legs out for a sweep, trying to beat the other to the punch. No one did.  
  
Both Sakuras gasped as they knocked each other off balance and fell on their backs. The fall knocked the wind out of both of them as they started to gasp for air.  
  
"You're right." Sakura K. acknowledged. "We are. on the. same skill level."  
  
"I. told you." the darker twin said while breathing hard. "Can. you get. up, sis?"  
  
"I'm. trying."  
  
Still in mirror images, the sisters struggled to sit up. Sakura K. held her head up with one head while Sakura S. took care of her back.  
  
"I. didn't know. that you could hit so hard," Sakura K. commented.  
  
Sakura S. looked up to her sis. "You shouldn't be talking. Don't forget what Darrell always says about you."  
  
Both Sakuras smiled simultaneously. {No one throws a punch like Sakura Kasugano.} After a few seconds, both slowly got to their feet.  
  
"Come on, sis," the lighter Sakura let out. "Let's keep going. until we're both satisfied."  
  
"That's more like my sis," the darker twin answered as they got into their stance. "I'm not giving up this fight. until I'm totally drained..."  
  
"Same. here."  
  
The two stared at each other for a while before resuming their battle.  
  
----- ------  
  
"Come on, Sean! Stop dodging! You are going to have to attack sometime."  
  
Sean was trying to dodge all of Darrell's Shakunetsuken attacks. He knew that they were both getting tired, so he thought about getting Darrell to make one fatal mistake before hitting him with one of his specialty moves.  
  
"I got you!" Darrell yelled out as he deviated from his punching maneuvers and caught Sean with a straight kick to Sean's chest. Sean slid back, but that is what he wanted him to do. He gathered his energy as a blue aura covered his body.  
  
"You made a big mistake, Darrell!" Sean called as a ball of blue electric energy formed at his side.  
  
"I don't think so, Sean! Try this out!" Darrell's red-orange aura came over his body as he mimicked the Hadouken stance. A red ball of energy came into his hands.  
  
"Hadou."  
  
"Shakunetsu. Shinku."  
  
They stared into each other's eyes as their energy reached their peak. As if they shared thoughts, the fired at the same time.  
  
"BURST!!"  
  
"HADOUKEN!!"  
  
The two released their energy at each other and the two Hadoukens clashed. They kept pushing on each other for about 3 seconds.  
  
"Come on." Darrell muttered to himself while pushing more of his energy through it.  
  
"You are not going to beat me!" Sean bellowed as he also put more energy into his Hadou-Burst. After a while, it looked like a stalemate, but something unexpected happened. Sean's Hadou-Burst ripped right through Darrell's blast, but instead of destroying the Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken, Darrell's blast went on as if nothing happened.  
  
"No way.!" Darrell gasped.  
  
"What the!?" Sean yelled out.  
  
BAM!!  
  
Both blasts nailed their targets and exploded on contact. Both fighters were blown off their feet and fell backwards. Darrell landed on his back while Sean slammed into one of the mansion's walls and fell face first to the pavement. They laid there motionless for about 10 seconds before Darrell started to stir.  
  
"Damn.," he mumbled weakly. "That took a lot. out of me. He's a lot better than I thought."  
  
Darrell raised his head to see Sean struggling to lift his body up off the ground.  
  
"I have to. admit," Sean started while breathing hard. "You are pretty good. A lot better than I gave you credit for."  
  
"Thanks." Darrell smiled as he sat up. "I. was waiting for that."  
  
"So. you feel like continuing or are you all out of energy?"  
  
"It's up to you, Sean. I'm ready whenever you are."  
  
Both dark skinned fighters stood up and got back into their stances.  
  
"You know, you are the first fighter to withstand my Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken." Darrell pointed out, making Sean smile this time.  
  
"Humph! I guess I'm ready for whatever happens. in Kyoto. but let's worry about. this fight. The African-American versus the Brazilian. I'm so stoked about this!"  
  
Darrell nodded in agreement. "Here I go, then!"  
  
----- -----  
  
"Hisshou!"  
  
Hinata put all she had in her assault and nailed Ken all through his body. After about 10 punches, she screamed out, "Moutei!!" as she burned Ken with her Shouyouken. When she landed, she asked again, "Did you like that one, Pan American Champ? I put all my vigor into this one, so don't be so anxious to get up."  
  
Hinata stood up over Ken, who was laid out on the ground. He didn't seem to move.  
  
"That should do it!" Hinata said happily. She finally felt like she did back in Tokyo; full of energy and with the willingness to fight. But something interrupted her little celebration.  
  
"This isn't OVER!!" Ken yelled as he sprung up off the ground to his feet, totally catching the girl by surprise.  
  
"I don't believe-" she let out before Ken cut her off with his specialty kicking move.  
  
"Shippu Jinrai. KYAKU!!"  
  
Ken punished Hinata's body with several powerful kicking maneuvers then sprung into the air with a Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku. Hinata yelled out and Ken took that as his cue to stop the match.  
  
"Now it's over," Ken announced as both of them hit the ground, Ken on his feet and Hinata on her face. She bounced off the pavement and finally settled on her face. Ken flashed a smile before dropping to one knee.  
  
"You are a lot better than you look, kid," he complimented. "This little match helped you in more ways than one. Do you need any help getting up?"  
  
Hinata slowly got off the ground to her knees. "No. Ken. I'm not done yet."  
  
Ken smiled. "You have the heart of a champion, kid. I like that. Once you get to your feet, then we can continue."  
  
"Thanks, Ken."  
  
----- -----  
  
Sakura K. dodged another roundhouse kick from her twin sister and retaliated with a hard hitting Shouoken. Since she was getting very tired, Sakura S. couldn't put her guard up fast enough and was hit by most of the Shouoken, but Sakura K. missed the last part and left herself wide open. Sakura S. waited for the lighter twin to come down before she grabbed her. She was going for the Sakura Jime, but she was pretty exhausted and couldn't swing her body around to the original's back. She just hung on to her as if she was about to fall.  
  
"Sis.?" Sakura K. asked wearily.  
  
The Satsu Sakura looked up to see her sister's battered face. "Don't. count me. out yet."  
  
The original smiled weakly. "I. know. that."  
  
Sakura K. pushed her sister away and started to charge up for another Hadouken, but the energy never came. Ah, come on. I ran out of energy. I must be very. tired.  
  
Sakura K. got out of her Hadouken stance just in time to see Sakura S. try another sweep kick. She stepped away and then rushed back in. She revved up with a fist ready to finish the match, but Sakura S. saw her before she could attack and she tried to beat her sister to the punch with her own strong punch.  
  
"This is it!" they both told one another as they finally delivered.  
  
POW!  
  
At first it looked as if their fists would collide with one another, but they both narrowly missed each other and slammed into their faces. Sakura K. let out a small gasp of pain as she fell backwards from her sister's punch. She fell to the ground, totally drained and breathing very hard.  
  
Sakura S. seemed to take her sister's blow pretty well. She stood upright and looked down at her fallen opponent. "I... won." she breathed out. She was about to duck down to help her twin if it wasn't for Sakura K.'s next words.  
  
"Are. you sure. about that.?" she asked while still lying down on the ground.  
  
"What. do you mean?" the dark twin asked as she bent down, putting her hands on her knees.  
  
"I'm saying. that I'm not. done yet."  
  
"Sis. we both don't have any energy left. Neither. of us. can. keep this. up."  
  
The dark twin suddenly fell down to her knees. "I."  
  
"I told you." Sakura K. started while very slowly getting to her knees also. ".that I wasn't finished."  
  
Both sisters looked into each other's eyes. They both knew that they couldn't fight each other any more. They could read it in each other's eyes. Yet, there was still the desire to fight. That was something that hadn't been in their eyes for a long time. It was the feeling of being in a real fight. and the will to continue.  
  
"You still. want to go. on?" the dark twin asked.  
  
"Yeah." That was the only response the lighter twin gave out.  
  
They both smiled and said simultaneously, "That's. my. sis."  
  
Both Sakuras forced themselves to get to their feet and stood right in front of one another.  
  
"Come on, sis," Sakura S. called. "We got to rest some. I think we did enough training. for now."  
  
Sakura K. nodded weakly. She tried to move, but she let out a shriek as she stumbled over her own feet and crashed into her sister.  
  
"Hey!" the Satsu Sakura yelped as her sister fell on top of her and once again, they met the ground. This time they stayed down, light on top of dark. She tried to push her sister off, but she just didn't have the energy. She let her arms flop to the ground where her sister's were.  
  
"Wow. sis," Sakura S. said.  
  
"Sorry." Sakura K. apologized weakly. "I. must. be. really tired."  
  
"It looks. as if we. will be resting out here."  
  
"I. don't mind it. but don't you think. that this is a... little embarrassing?"  
  
"Honestly. I don't. I consider. this match. to be a draw. so I. think. having us both knocked out. suit the. term. double K.O.. huh?"  
  
Sakura K. just smiled through her fatigue. "I admit. that this. is the first time. I tied with someone."  
  
"I know. I'm you, remember?"  
  
"How about that. Being knocked out. by yourself. and vice versa."  
  
"I'm pooped. Let's talk later, sis." Sakura S. moaned slightly.  
  
"You're right. Night, sis."  
  
Both Sakuras finally closed their eyes and let their bodies recuperate. In other words, they went to sleep right then and there.  
  
----- -----  
  
"What do you mean I can't go with you to Japan?" Nijel whined.  
  
"You heard me. Once we get to Japan, I can't risk you being near me. There is. someone after us and I can't let you be one of the captives in this thing. Besides, I already called home. They're expecting you."  
  
It was three days after the mass sparring and everyone was about to take off to Kyoto, but Darrell insisted that Nijel head back to his hometown. Nijel was a bit upset about this and kept begging him to let him go. This time, however, Darrell wasn't buying.  
  
"I don't get it," Nijel said while looking up to his brother. "Is it that bad?"  
  
"Yes. and if you get caught up, you might be killed."  
  
That seemed to do it. Nijel backed away from his brother. "But you are going," Nijel shot back. "Don't you."  
  
"Nijel, just stop it!"  
  
He shut up immediately. He saw that in Darrell's expression that he was totally serious about the whole thing. This was not a game.  
  
"Listen. I'll call you about it when I'm done and once I get a chance, I'll try to get you up there to Tokyo. Just go back home, please."  
  
Nijel just stared at his big brother. "You are going to fight this guy that might kill you. You never did this before. What should I tell mom?"  
  
"Just tell her that I went back to Japan. She can't know where, though. I'll tell her that. Ken has a helicopter waiting for you."  
  
"Fine." Nijel turned towards Ken's port. "Just don't go on and die on me."  
  
Darrell returned with a smile. "Don't worry about it. I have too much to live for to die."  
  
As Nijel ran off, someone poked on Darrell's shoulder. He spun around and was met by Sakura K.  
  
"Ready?" she asked.  
  
Darrell nodded. "Let's see Ryu."  
  
End of Chapter 14 


	15. Ryu vs Sakura

15. Ryu vs. Sakura  
  
"What's wrong, Sakura K?" Ken asked while walking up a mountain hill.  
  
"Nothing. I'm just so excited about seeing Ryu again."  
  
Only Ken and Sakura K. went up to Ryu's training grounds for the time being. The others said that they would catch up in 15 minutes, giving these two a chance to meet a long-time friend. It was pretty dark because of the multitude of trees littering the area, but sunlight broke through the leaves, helping the two see. Ken was wearing his trademark red karate gi, but Sakura was wearing normal street clothes and her headband. Since school was out for the summer (for Sakura, Hinata, and Darrell at the time), she didn't want to wear her school uniform at this moment.  
  
"Hey, Sakura," Ken called for the girl's attention.  
  
Sakura K. turned her head to Ken. "Yes?"  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you ever since I saw you back in San Francisco. Why are there two of you? That has been bugging me for the longest time."  
  
"I'll tell you when I see Ryu. I bet he'll be surprised at that."  
  
After about another minute, the hill gave out to flat grass. Sakura K. and Ken were facing a wide open space with nothing in it but grass.  
  
"This is the place that he said he'll be in," Ken said while looking around. "Yet."  
  
"Shoryuken!!"  
  
"There he is!" Sakura shouted out loud.  
  
To their right was a Japanese man in a white gi and red handguards. He had just shoot up into the air with his fist up above him. He rose up and knocked down a high tree branch that held something like a red strap. He dropped back to the ground along with the branch and picked it up while untying the red cloth and placing it on his forehead.  
  
"Hey, Ryu!" Ken called out, surprising the man.  
  
He spun around to face the two newcomers but after a few seconds, he recognized who they were.  
  
"I see that you have returned," Ryu greeted his friend as he walked up to him. They both raised their fists and tapped them together. That was their way of saying hello to one another. "How are things, Ken?"  
  
Ken shrugged. "It has been pretty interesting lately. I found some kids who really know how to fight. They should be coming here in another 10 minutes. Sean is here also and. well. you know who this is."  
  
Ken moved over to the side and let Ryu see Sakura K. She was wearing a huge smile, making Ryu sort of nervous.  
  
"Uh. Sakura." Ryu shook his head and then tried again. "Hi, Sakura."  
  
"Hi," she responded. "I've been looking for you, you know."  
  
"For another battle?" Ryu guessed. "It wouldn't be a problem to fight you again."  
  
Sakura nodded. "That is only for starters, Ryu. I've been meaning to tell you some weird things that have been happening to me lately."  
  
"Oh, really? Just what could that possibly be?"  
  
"Well. for one. I have someone who wants to meet you just as badly as I do."  
  
Ryu and Ken just stared at Sakura as she turned around to the way that they just came. "Hey, sis! I know that you're here! Come on out, already!"  
  
"Sis.?" Ryu mimicked. The last time Ryu checked, Sakura had only a little brother. {Who could this person be?}  
  
Ryu got her answer as a voice shot out from the forest. "Oh.! I thought I could take a sneak at him! Why did you blow my cover, sis?"  
  
{That voice. it is the same as Sakura's. Could she have a twin?}  
  
A young teenage girl came out of the green and into the light. and Ryu's jaw almost dropped to the ground. She was an exact replica of Sakura. Correction: this WAS Sakura. only it was her Satsu form. Everything was there. The headband, the body feature, the identical clothing, the hair. Even the personality was pure Sakura.  
  
"You have got to be kidding me."  
  
As the new Sakura stood next to the original, Ryu just stared at both of them. {I don't believe it.}  
  
"Ryu. this is my twin sis. or really, my dark side. Her name's Sakura Satsu, but everyone just calls her Sakura S."  
  
Sakura S. smiled at the sight of Ryu. "It has been a long time, hasn't it, Ryu?"  
  
Ryu didn't respond. He continued his staring as he was trying to put the pieces together. He finally turned his attention fully to the original Sakura.  
  
"Sakura. how.?"  
  
"Before you start, let me explain some things. Yes, she is my 'evil' side. No, she isn't a psychopath like Akuma. She split from my body about a few weeks ago-"  
  
Sakura K. never finished her sentence as Ryu cut her off.  
  
"How did you know about Akuma?" he asked.  
  
Sakura S. put her hands on her hips. "He hasn't changed. He still is pretty simple-minded." she mumbled while rolling her eyes.  
  
Sakura K. started to explain again. "Akuma came to my friends and me in some twisted dream about five days ago. He's the main reason why we're here. Ryu. he's coming after us."  
  
Ryu nodded. "He must have been interested in the fact that your dark side isn't in your body anymore."  
  
"He mentioned that he fought you once before."  
  
"Yes. We fought many times. Each time he keeps trying to tell me to release my Evil Intent. He's persistent. No matter how many times I defeat him, he doesn't seem to let up. and he pops up at the most inconvenient times."  
  
"What is his problem?" Sakura S. asked  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"So, anyway. I thought that I could fight you once more to see how ready I am," Sakura K. said politely. "I hope you remember our little agreement."  
  
Ryu smiled. "Yes. and I have gotten much stronger than before. I hope you prepared for this day, Sakura."  
  
Sakura K. nodded. "Of course, Ryu!" She got into her fighting stance and Ryu followed.  
  
"Koi!"  
  
Sakura charged in and started the battle. As usual, Ryu went on the defensive. Both Sakura and Ken knew that Ryu wasn't much of an offensive fighter. He likes to see his opponent make mistakes and capitalize on it. Sakura took that into consideration as she attacked with a few strong punches to Ryu's upper body. Each one Ryu blocked with ease. Sakura backed up suddenly and took off into the air. Ryu, expecting an aerial kick, went into his famous anti-air move.  
  
"Shoryuken!!"  
  
As Ryu shot into the air with his uppercut, Sakura telegraphed it. She seemed to hang in mid-air as a small aura surrounded her and she clasped her hands to her side.  
  
"Hadouken!"  
  
Sakura released a large blue ball of energy, catching Ryu by surprise and knocking him back down to earth. He landed on his back, but quickly rolled backwards as Sakura landed and started to approach him.  
  
{That was unexpected. Sakura knows how to throw a Hadouken in mid-air. She definitely has been training.}  
  
Ryu clasped his hands to his side and just like Sakura, a small blue aura surrounded him. Sakura knew what this was.  
  
"Hadouken!" Ryu called as he launched his energy blast at Sakura. Sakura waited for Ryu's Hadouken to come within a few inches of her and sidestepped it and charged in.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Ryu saw Sakura's variation of his Shoryuken coming and guarded it. As Sakura launched herself into the air, Ryu ducked down and knocked her away with a rising uppercut. Sakura recovered in air and was about to go onto the offensive again, but she didn't notice what Ryu was doing.  
  
"Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku!"  
  
Sakura's face met Ryu's spinning kick three times before reeling backwards. She stopped herself, shook her head, and got back into her fighting stance.  
  
{Hmm. Normally that would have knocked her to the ground on the first kick. This is very interesting.}  
  
Sakura dashed in and Ryu went defensive. Sakura started to deliver another quick punch to Ryu's head, but at the last second she ducked down to a crouching position, catching Ryu off guard with a sweep kick. Ryu safe fell and delivered a swift kick to Sakura's side, but Sakura moved out the way in time.  
  
{She has improved a lot. It looks as if I'll have to fight more seriously.}  
  
Ryu stepped back from a short Shouoken and brought his fist over in a right hook. He hit Sakura right in the cheek, sending her reeling back. Sakura recovered and managed to block a kick aimed at her head and retaliated with a roundhouse kick. Ryu ducked and performed a short Shoryuken, almost hitting Sakura K.'s leg.  
  
"Whoa!" Sakura K. yelped as she stumbled back a bit to recover her balance. While she was doing that, she couldn't notice Ryu charging up his energy in his hands. A light blue aura covered his body.  
  
"Shinku."  
  
Sakura finally recovered and looked at Ryu. and gasped. {He's using.}  
  
"HADOUKEN!!"  
  
Ryu unleashed his blue blast and unfortunately, because it was moving so fast, Sakura couldn't dodge it. She put her arms up in a blocking position as the Shinku Hadouken hit. She strained to keep her guard up. {It's so. powerful. Even more than I remember.}  
  
Ryu's blast finally gave out and Sakura K. shook her arms.  
  
"Big mistake, Sakura!" Ryu yelled out as he drove his fist right into her face. Sakura's nose started to bleed a little. but it was nothing compared to the next move he was about to do.  
  
"SHIN!"  
  
Ryu smashed Sakura in her stomach with an insanely strong punch with the right. She gasped loudly as it knocked the air right out of her. {Oh. no.}  
  
Ryu followed with another wicked blow with the other hand, making his opponent wince in pain. then the finish.  
  
"SHORYUKEN!!!"  
  
Ryu shot into the air with a huge version of the Shoryuken, knocking Sakura sky high. She rose to about as high as the middle of some of the largest trees before she went plummeting back to earth. She landed with a big thud onto the ground, bounced off the grass, and finally settled. Ryu landed and stared at Sakura's fallen body, which wasn't moving.  
  
"That's got to hurt." Ken commented.  
  
"Sis.?" Sakura S. asked quietly. She could sense that her twin's vitality plummeted severely with Ryu's Shin Shoryuken and wouldn't be surprised if she didn't get up.  
  
Ryu didn't say a word as he looked at the girl's body. {She had improved. I had to pull that one out the bag. She could have beaten me if I let her get comfortable.}  
  
Suddenly, Sakura K. started to move. She was forcing her battered body to get up and continue with the match. At first she just managed to lift her head up. then it dropped back to the green grass. A few seconds passed and she brought her legs in to support herself. She sat up and slowly but surly, she got to her feet. At first it seemed as if Sakura recovered. but then her legs gave out under her a bit and she almost fell again. She tried to get back into stance, but instead she stumbled backwards, dizzy.  
  
"It's like. Yun's You-Hou." she murmured weakly as she put a hand on her head to steady herself.  
  
"I'm very impressed, Sakura," Ryu said. He was standing upright now. "I'll let you recover from that move and we'll continue."  
  
"Uhhh.." She moaned before muttering, "Thanks. Ryu."  
  
{Come on. What's taking so long? I can't get this dizzy feeling out of me. Why.? Wait. I think I got it.}  
  
She finally shook her head and looked at her idol for a few seconds, blinking a bit more rapidly than normal.  
  
"Are you ready?" he asked.  
  
Sakura K. answered by nodding. Both went back into their stance, but neither moved. They were sizing each other up.  
  
"Do you think Sakura can keep going after that?" Ken asked Sakura's dark twin. "You are her, right?"  
  
Sakura S. didn't look up to Ken's face. "She has the determination. She'll be fine. Besides, she has regained some of her vitality. and she hasn't even used her stronger moves yet."  
  
"I know. This will be pretty interesting."  
  
Ken and Sakura S. spun around and saw Hinata, Darrell, and Sean stand right next to them. They were very interested in the fight that was about to resume.  
  
"How long have you guys been here?" Sakura S. asked.  
  
"About a few seconds," Sean answered. He had his arms crossed as he stared at Ryu. He's enjoying this. If he thinks that was good. then I can't wait to show him how good I got. Everyone here has been training very hard for the last six days. We all have new tricks up our sleeves.  
  
"Ikuze!" Sakura yelled out at she sprung into the air and delivered a Shunpukyaku. Ryu knocked her out of it with another uppercut, but unlike most times, Sakura fell to the ground. It took her a few seconds to get up, but as soon as she got up, Ryu was all over her.  
  
"Shinku. Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku!"  
  
Sakura K. was without defenses as she was sucked into a vortex of spinning kicks created by Ryu. The leaves in the area swayed towards Ryu's stationary hurricane kick. Sakura cried out multiple times as she was kicked 20 times before Ryu finally kicked her away.  
  
Sakura K. went spiraling a good few feet across the grass and landed in a long skid. then finally stayed down.  
  
"Sakura!" Hinata yelled out to her friend. She wasn't showing much signs of getting up.  
  
"She. really took a beating." Sean mentioned. No matter how many times he saw that, he never gets tired of it.  
  
Everyone could hear Sakura's groaning as she laid there. Ryu was convinced that he won, so he calmly walked over to the young warrior.  
  
"Damn." Sakura K. let out weakly as Ryu stopped right above her.  
  
"You've shown a lot of stamina." Ryu commented on Sakura's performance. He was pretty awed ever since the matched started. Sakura never took so much punishment before.  
  
Strangely, Sakura K. giggled a bit.  
  
"Huh?" Ryu gasped at her as her giggling grew louder.  
  
"I'm not finished yet!" she yelled out at she quickly sprung off the ground and caught Ryu off guard with a strong punch to the head.  
  
"Midare Zakura!!"  
  
Sakura unleashed her onslaught on Ryu and just like her dark side when she fought Bison, she made every hit count. but she wasn't done there.  
  
"I've been working on this one! Ichiyo.!"  
  
Sakura did an entirely different move. She chained out of her Midare Zakura and went straight into the air with a long Shunpukyaku, taking Ryu with her.  
  
"Hey!" Darrell yelled out. "How did she.?"  
  
Sakura K. kicked Ryu up to the height of the trees then she performed a few attacks in mid-air. but suddenly a blue aura surrounded her and she stopped attacking. Both seemed to hang in the air.  
  
"Take this, Ryu. Shinku."  
  
"How can she do that?" Hinata asked in awe.  
  
"HADOUKEN!!"  
  
Before anyone knew it, Ryu was on the ground while Sakura K. was landing. Ryu was down, but he was trying to get back up again.  
  
"Sakura. how did you. do all of that?" Ryu asked while raising his head to see Sakura.  
  
Sakura giggled while pointing at Ryu. "I got you good! Midare Zakura to Haru Ichiban to Shinku Hadouken! I wish I should have seen it. That was awesome!"  
  
All of a sudden she let out a yelp as her body gave out on her. She fell to her knees and realized that Ryu's powerful attacks really hurt her more than she thought.  
  
"Are you okay?" Ken asked the two fighters.  
  
"Yeah." Sakura said while turning her head to Ken.  
  
"I'll be okay." Ryu answered.  
  
Hinata exhaled heavily. "You had me worried Sakura. I thought you would have been knocked senseless long ago."  
  
"I know. That's why. my sis and I. were working on for the past six days."  
  
As Ryu got to his feet, Sakura S. felt something. weird. She looked behind her to the foliage, expecting someone. and saw nothing.  
  
{Strange. I feel something. familiar. It's like I've felt it before.}  
  
"So. now what?" Sean asked. "You two are done, aren't you?"  
  
"Hmm. I guess you need something about Akuma." Ryu said.  
  
Sakura S's eyes widened. {Wait a minute. That's IT!!}  
  
"I'm sorry to interrupt.," Sakura S. broke in, ".but I think. he's already here!!"  
  
End of Chapter 15 


	16. Nightmare Comes True

16. Nightmare Comes True  
  
Ryu's head shot up to the dark Sakura twin. "What. did you say?"  
  
"You're such an idiot!"  
  
A man shrouded in darkness suddenly dropped from the sky and warped toward the spectators, namely Ken, Sakura S., Sean, Hinata, and Darrell. To be more precise, Darrell was first to be the victim.  
  
"It's. Akuma!" Ryu yelled out as Akuma came out his Ashura Warp and brought his fist right into Darrell's face.  
  
"Not this time."  
  
Darrell sidestepped, something no one expected from him, especially Akuma.  
  
"Shakunetsuken Snake!"  
  
Darrell's arm, not just his fist, went into flames as he struck Akuma in the back with an elbow then he spun around and hit the demon with the bare fist. Darrell chained that into an uppercut with the flaming fist. Akuma was sent back a bit, but recovered.  
  
"Hmm. You actually hit me."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"You have improved a bit."  
  
"I just got tired of you killing me before I could lift a finger. and one more thing. I can sense you now."  
  
Akuma wasn't fazed with Darrell's new ability. He went into his stance. "It won't make a difference. This is a real fight, not one of those ridiculous dreams. If you lose."  
  
"Trust me. I won't lose to a scumbag like you."  
  
"Koi!"  
  
Darrell didn't bother to attack automatically. He stood his adversary down while everything in the vicinity quieted to nothing.  
  
{Hmm. let's see what this newcomer has to offer.} Ryu thought to himself. {It is a pity he has to do that against a demon like Akuma.}  
  
Darrell charged in and threw a blow to Akuma's chest that Akuma evaded easily. He punched a few more times and ended with a cross kick, but Akuma blocked it all. As Darrell recovered, Akuma charged up a bit of his energy and threw a purple Hadouken at next-to-point-blank-range. It hit, sending Darrell backwards.  
  
Akuma threw another Hadouken, but this time Darrell was ready.  
  
"You can't catch me with the same move twice!"  
  
Darrell rolled out of the way of the blast and was about to retaliate, but he saw Akuma's frame split into multiple images and glide towards him.  
  
"Just like Sakura S., huh?"  
  
Darrell spun around with a roundhouse kick aimed to the head. but he hit nothing but air.  
  
"Huh?" he gasped.  
  
"Idiot!"  
  
Darrell spun around again and was met with an overwhelming body blow to the stomach, making him jerk a bit. Akuma raised his fist to the upper chest, knocking Darrell into the air. He then jumped after him to finish his Shoryuken attack with another punch, hitting him away. Darrell landed on the ground and stayed there for a few seconds before sitting up. Akuma was right in front of him, his expression wasn't very pleased.  
  
"."  
  
Darrel didn't waste his time with words. He shot up with a flaming uppercut, but once again Akuma teleported behind him.  
  
"Not again!"  
  
Darrell tried to spin around and block. but never got to. Akuma slammed his fist into Darrell's collarbone with overwhelming force, causing his eyes to become glassy. Darrell gagged as fell to the ground. and didn't get back up.  
  
"Pathetic. You were such a waste of my time."  
  
Akuma raised a hand over his foe's fallen body and charged up. A purple ball of energy formed in his hands.  
  
"As I said. If you lost."  
  
"Hold it!"  
  
"Ah. Ryu."  
  
Akuma turned around to the warrior in the white gi, his energy still pointing at Darrell. Ryu had a very serious expression on his face and his blue aura surrounded his body.  
  
"Leave the kid alone. It was clear that he wasn't a match you. You don't need to end his life. Why waste your energy on him when you can use it on me?"  
  
"You are smart, aren't you, Ryu?" Akuma smirked as he continued to stare Ryu down. "However, it isn't you I'm interested in."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I'm interested in your Satsu energy. Evil Ryu is the warrior that I'm looking for."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you. but that side of me will never come out. No matter how much revenge I want on you for killing my master. I won't release that energy."  
  
"Then how about I release it for you!"  
  
Akuma focused more of his energy and his palm blast grew in size. He was about to kill Darrell.  
  
"No!!" Ryu yelled out.  
  
Akuma's smirk grew. then, totally shocking Ryu, lifted his arm and aimed at the group.  
  
Ken's eyes widened in fear as he saw what was happening. "Everyone move!!!"  
  
"Too late!!" Akuma yelled out as he finally released his energy. As if it was a Dragon Ball Z moment, the ball widened into a huge purple beam that rocketed towards to group.  
  
"They can't get away." Ryu thought in horror. "It's too fast."  
  
"DIE!!!"  
  
The beam exploded when it got in range, causing a load of dust and debris to scatter all over. Ryu just looked on in shock. He couldn't have done anything to help even if he could. He hated Akuma for his dastardly act. but he hated himself more. As the smoke cleared he saw someone's body. He squinted his eyes. and then they widened severely. He saw. Ken. and he had his face in the ground. and he wasn't moving. Heck, it didn't look like he was even breathing.  
  
"No. not Ken."  
  
Ryu whipped his head to see Akuma staring back at him. His red eyes were completely emotionless.  
  
"Now. aren't you to blame for this? You could have spared your friends' lives if you had listened to me. Now, for the other kid."  
  
Ryu just stood there. He wanted to move, but his anger was holding him back. Although he didn't want to, he knew what was happening. and he couldn't stop it. He didn't want to stop it. There was only one thing on his mind. His aura covered him again, but this time it wasn't light blue. it was a heavy dark blue.  
  
{Akuma.}  
  
Ryu's face became twisted in his anger and he gritted his teeth. His power grew as the wind blew furiously.  
  
{Just like Master Gouken.}  
  
The aura switched from dark blue. to blood red.  
  
{You cannot be forgiven. for this.}  
  
Ryu's skin color darkened. and his pupils gave way to redness.  
  
"AKUMA!!!"  
  
Ryu's emotions erupted as he screamed out the killer's name. Akuma turned around and strangely he smiled. for this was what he was what he was waiting for.  
  
"Yes. you are awake, Evil Ryu."  
  
Evil Ryu didn't respond. His expression was too heated to even need any words. He only went into his fighting stance. It was totally different than the one he did on Sakura. His breathing was slower and deep. and he stood like a statue would.  
  
"Now I shall see if you are worthy enough for my time."  
  
"Enough. My fist wants blood. yours."  
  
Akuma looked into Evil Ryu's blood red eyes while preparing to fight. No one moved. then at the same time, they charged. Evil Ryu started to deliver an onslaught attacks and Akuma either dodged or blocked them. Evil Ryu kept going at it until Akuma warped backwards.  
  
"Hadouken!!"  
  
Ryu fired a purple blast of energy to where Akuma would reappear at. The Hadouken connected, sending Akuma back pedaling. Evil Ryu teleported over to Akuma's position and followed with a snap kick to the ribs. Akuma teleported behind Evil Ryu and smashed the back of his head in with a punch. Evil Ryu recovered and spun around only to meet a strong punch to the face.  
  
"Shou!"  
  
Evil Ryu met Akuma's three hit Shoryuken and left with his face bleeding a bit. He fell to the ground, but rolled to the side. He looked up just in time to see Akuma jump into the air and hold his arm out again as his red aura came up.  
  
"Nnnnnnnn! Tenma Gou Zanku!!"  
  
Akuma fired about 20 little Hadoukens downward. Evil Ryu looked up a few more seconds, letting them drop to the ground and explode all around him, each leaving a little crater. When the last one hit the ground, Evil Ryu teleported out of view.  
  
No one could be seen for a few seconds. It seemed as if they disappeared. then the sounds of blows landing could be heard. The two dark warriors were exchanging blows at the other side of the grassy field. Their speed increased as time passed as neither let up on their blows. After a while, Evil Ryu finally hit Akuma out of his momentum with a blow to the stomach. It slowed down his adversary, but Akuma retaliated with a swinging blow to the head, stunning Evil Ryu.  
  
"Weak!!"  
  
Akuma lifted into the air and performed his Tatsumaki Zanku Kyaku, knocking Evil Ryu into the air. Akuma landed and quickly followed with another Shoryuken. He knocked Evil Ryu away again.  
  
"Come on, Ryu! I expected better than this! Don't tell me that you didn't get any stronger than the last time I fought you. You are a disgrace."  
  
"Shut up. You'll die soon enough."  
  
"I won't die in the hands of a weakling like you!" Akuma yelled out to Evil Ryu, who was getting up from the Shoryuken. Akuma teleported right in Evil Ryu's face and started to knee him, but he was cut off by a side blow from Ryu.  
  
"Messatsu. Gou Shoryu!"  
  
Evil Ryu did a Shoryureppa-like move on Akuma's vulnerable body. After the third Shoryuken Akuma was sent flying back to the area where the battle started and hit the ground with Evil Ryu in pursuit.  
  
As soon as Evil Ryu got there, Akuma rose up quickly, his aura covering him.  
  
"You think that was the way to do it? Here is the real version, fool!"  
  
Akuma performed the Messatsu Gou Shoryu, but Evil Ryu anticipated and blocked all the blows. When Akuma took off into the air, Evil Ryu was about to pluck him out of the air, but Akuma immediately dropped down with his foot outstretched. He dug in deep into Ryu's chest, making him clutch it in pain. Akuma took this opportunity to grab Ryu by one of his arms and pull him in.  
  
"You should have KNOWN better.!" Akuma started while giving Evil Ryu a ridiculously strong knee to the stomach.  
  
".than to follow up on the SAME MOVE." Another knee strike, making Ryu's head drop.  
  
".that you did and NOT EXPECT SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HAPPEN!" A body blow to the stomach again.  
  
"Now... it's time to end this sorry excuse." Akuma put his free hand on Evil Ryu's swollen chest area. ".for." The hand glowed with purple Satsu energy.  
  
".A FIGHT!!!"  
  
"Sorry to disappoint."  
  
"What..!?"  
  
Evil Ryu's head jerked upward, catching Akuma off guard and grabbed him by the shoulders.  
  
"You wouldn't." Akuma let out.  
  
"Oh. but I will." Evil Ryu reassured his enemy. then everything faded to black. and Evil Ryu released the fury of the Shungokusatsu. When it was all over, Evil Ryu was standing right over Akuma, who had new bruises and cuts all over him.  
  
"Why didn't you scream? I wanted to hear those blood-culling screams that you were holding back! At least you got your wish."  
  
Evil Ryu started to back away from Akuma. but something caught his attention. A huge power increase. from.  
  
"He couldn't be."  
  
"You did it wrong. YOU ARE WEAK!!"  
  
He spun around and looked on in shock. Akuma got up off the ground slowly, his aura ablaze. and it was showing a kanji symbol. "Ten".  
  
"I thought."  
  
"You held too much back. You NEVER hold back while doing the Shungokusatsu. If you can't afford to sacrifice your soul for the win, then you don't deserve to be a fighter! Now to end your pathetic life."  
  
Akuma got into stance and slowly floated forward for the kill.  
  
"I don't think so!"  
  
Evil Ryu summoned the energy to perform a red version of his Hadouken. It connected and set Akuma's body on fire, but it didn't stop Akuma from floating over. He was almost in range. and Ryu sorted to desperation. He braced himself.  
  
"Shoryuken!"  
  
Evil Ryu struck Akuma in the stomach with the first part of the Shoryuken. then the second. but his moves weren't affecting Akuma.  
  
"It's futile. DIE!!!"  
  
Evil Ryu's eyes widened in fear as Akuma made the grab. and everything was starting to turn black.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Ugghh. What.?"  
  
Darrell raised his body off the grass and shook his head.  
  
"I never been hit like that." he gasped suddenly. "Wait a minute.! Where is Akuma.?"  
  
He turned his head to search for the Satsu master. He looked for a few seconds and his eyes landed on the area that Ken, the Sakuras, Sean, and Hinata were at. and he almost lost him mind.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL!!!"  
  
He was staring at a huge crater. and the bodies of his friends laying out right there. He jumped off the ground and ran at full speed to the hole in the earth. He stopped at the edge. and his jaw dropped. They were severely wounded. as if Majin Buu came and eradicated his friends. but he knew that only one person could have did this.  
  
"Akuma." he growled loudly. His eyes looked through the bodies. and he finally saw who he was looking for. and he turned away in both sadness and anger.  
  
"SAKURA!! HINATA.!! NO!!!!"  
  
He didn't notice that his aura had reappeared around him through his emotions. He frantically turned around. and spotted Akuma grab Ryu. or what looked like Ryu. and although everything went black, he could see Akuma vigorously attack Ryu.  
  
"Now Ryu.! Why that."  
  
His aura was growing to outrageous proportions, just like he did against Sho back in Shadowloo, but he didn't notice that it was also flashing. His eyes were locked on Akuma as he finished the 14th attack for his Shungokusatsu. and his anger peaked.  
  
"AKUMA!!!"  
  
SNAP.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	17. Moment of Truth

17. Moment of Truth  
  
Akuma had Evil Ryu right where he wanted him. All he had to do was end the move and he would forever seal the claim on the title of Master of the Fist.  
  
"You shall die now. my long rival. Farewell, Ryu."  
  
He raised his hand high into the air. then.  
  
"AKUMA!!!"  
  
"What.?"  
  
Akuma dropped Evil Ryu, who just landed on the ground with a thud while changing back to normal, and looked to where the sudden burst of energy came from. As everything in eyesight went back to normal, the individual came clearer and clearer into view. then he finally realized who it was.  
  
"The African. All this vigor is coming from him? It is even greater than Ryu's. I must inspect this person."  
  
Akuma warped over to about a few feet in front of the enraged Darrell and definitely noticed a change. His aura was no longer red-orange. It was a golden yellow, spreading. and his head was down, looking at the ground.  
  
"Interesting." Akuma mouthed out as he looked on at this new power coming from Darrell. "His anger is at his peak. but this is when his Evil Intent should come in. Wait. he doesn't practice the normal Shotokan. so Dark Hadou doesn't exist in him. But he shouldn't have a gold aura."  
  
Suddenly.  
  
"GGYYYAAAAAAH!!!"  
  
Darrell's anger fueled his aura to the point that it literally engulfed the whole grassy field with light. Akuma was more than impressed with the young warrior's newfound strength.  
  
"Yes. that's it. Give it your all."  
  
The kid snapped his head upward to glare right at the demon. Blood red eyes met flaming pupils. Akuma's Satsu aura appeared and was battling Darrell's golden aura. Then Darrell spoke with more seriousness than he ever demonstrated before.  
  
"I'll. kill you." he muttered as he slowly lifted a hand, outstretched, towards Akuma. No one moved for a good 10 seconds before Darrell swung his open hand to where Sakura K. was lying unconscious at. He yelled out a bit as a portion of his aura surrounded her. He kept his stance for about 10 seconds. as Sakura K.'s wounds started to heal. After a while, Darrell was rewarded with her awakening groans.  
  
{The boy can heal someone with his power?} Akuma thought to himself. {He's even stronger than I thought. but.}  
  
"Huh?"  
  
It was the first word Sakura K. said that was audible. Her eyes danced around, looking at her surroundings. then her eyes found Darrell. His expression was pretty serious. and his aura was completely different than before. It was gold.  
  
"D. Darrell?" she finally got his name out of her mouth.  
  
"I'm glad to see that I healed you right. now listen VERY CAREFULLY! Look at yourself for a second."  
  
Sakura K. followed his orders and looked at her hands. and gasped. First of all, she felt much more powerful than before. and her aura was also golden. "What the."  
  
"I gave you a section of my power to get you up on your feet again. You were pretty battered up. Your wounds should have healed and the power I gave you should be more than enough to revive the others. When you get to them, put a hand over their bodies and focus your energy to that hand. Your energy should cover their bodies and after a while they'll be up. I'll take care. of Bison."  
  
"Oh. don't you mean Akuma?" Sakura K. corrected him.  
  
Darrell stood there, blushing from embarrassment. "Oh, yeah. what did I say?"  
  
{Even when he's in this new state. he's still Darrell.}  
  
Sakura smiled while getting to her feet and running off. Darrell turned his attention to Akuma, the embarrassment on his face vanished.  
  
"Although you are strong in power, you are truly weak in your feelings." Akuma muttered. "Why waste your energy on such weaklings?"  
  
"Because they are my friends," Darrell responded. "They would have done the same for me. And even if they wouldn't, I'm too nice of a guy to leave them out here to die with you. Just be lucky that one of these people weren't my brother, or I would have already kicked your ass."  
  
"Your talk only delays your demise, child."  
  
"Then let's not waste anymore time. on yours." Darrell got into his fighting stance. "Ikuze."  
  
----- ------  
  
"Huh. Sakura.? What did.?"  
  
"Try not to talk, Ryu," Sakura K. said sternly. "I think the recovery method worked perfectly."  
  
Ryu stared at her for a long while, his mind full of questions. {Her aura. Why is it a faint gold color.? How did she heal me from.? WAIT A MINUTE!}  
  
Ryu sat up suddenly. He definitely felt that enormous power coming from somewhere. There was no way it could be Akuma. This one was very different. and much more powerful than Akuma's Satsu aura. He scanned the area until he followed the sound of blows being landed. and gasped. There were two combatants, one was Akuma. and the other was Darrell. The two were squaring off in the wasteland that Akuma made with his Tenma Gou Zanku. and surprisingly, Darrell had the advantage by a long shot.  
  
"Sakura. Do you see this?" Ryu asked in awe.  
  
Sakura spun around and answered, "Of course, Ryu. That's Darrell. in his new state. I felt it when he woke me up. He is stronger than I've ever remembered. And he didn't lose his mind the whole time."  
  
----- -----  
  
Darrell knocked Akuma back with a swift spin kick to the head, then dashed in and ducked his recovery blow to land an uppercut to his jaw.  
  
"Come on, Akuma!" he taunted as he delivered a strong right hook to Akuma's head. "I know that you were a murderer, but if you think you are going to win this battle at your current level. then you aren't even suited to fight with me!"  
  
"How dare you. DIE!!"  
  
Akuma performed his Tatsumaki Zanku Kyaku, but Darrell ducked to let him pass over him and returned with a Shakunetsuken Upper. Akuma's body went aflame as he fell back.  
  
"That one was for Sakura. both of them."  
  
Akuma recovered and threw a purple Hadouken that Darrell easily jumped over. Akuma grinned. Darrell NEVER jumps in. He prepared to do a Shoryuken, but he was hit out of it by a flying kick.  
  
"Weak!" Darrell roared as he landed and unleashed the Rekka Nakkura. but this one was solely on the ground. There was no air combo on this on. Akuma didn't make a sound as he took the pummeling the African gave him. Darrell finally finished with a Shakunetsu Straight, knocking the demon on his back in a blaze.  
  
{It is time.}  
  
"Humph! Is this the thanks I get for going all out?" Darrell asked, disappointed.  
  
"You. don't know what you got yourself into." Akuma muttered as he stood up. "You're too cocky for your own good!"  
  
"Oh, so I'm cocky huh? How about. I beat you quickly!!"  
  
Darrell rushed to finish off Akuma. but a sudden burst of Satsu energy blasted from his body, sending him backward to the ground.  
  
"Fool! Now feel my true power!!"  
  
Darrell sat up and growled in a low tone. {His power. it's increasing. Wait. What is that.?}  
  
Akuma's aura multiplied as it formed a kanji symbol in the air. It read. total destruction. His gi changed from black to purple. and his ferociousness grew.  
  
"Now young one. Feel the true power of the Evil Intent!"  
  
"Akuma!!" Darrell yelled out. "What.?"  
  
"Fool! Don't you understand!? I'm no longer Akuma. I'm the supreme master of the fist. The true definition of power-made flesh. I'm. Shin Akuma. Now, young one. prepare for the ultimate battle."  
  
"So your gi changed color and the back symbol says that you'll destroy me. That doesn't mean that you'll be able to do it. Besides, I don't feel that much of a change of power."  
  
Shin Akuma looked onto Darrell's body without saying a word. Both were in their fighting stances while their auras battled each other. The sky darkened a lot since the two transformations and lightning could be seen in the far distance. It was going to be an epic battle.  
  
"So. this is my opponent for the ultimate battle? A 'super' version of Akuma? Well then. let's get on with it."  
  
Shin Akuma simply muttered one word. "Idiot."  
  
Before Darrell could reply, Shin Akuma warped out of view. Darrell braced himself as he tried to sense Akuma's presence.  
  
Weird. I can't sense him. I did a few minutes ago.  
  
He started to search for Akuma. Behind him? No, nothing there. Above? Nadda. {Where is he?}  
  
"Nnnuh!!"  
  
Darrell looked behind and up to see two Hadoukens flying to him. He jumped back to dodge and stood on guard. He still couldn't see Shin Akuma, but now he knew that he was nearby.  
  
"Come on out, Akuma!" Darrell beckoned. "I'm waiting on you!"  
  
Silence filled the area...  
  
{You are not going to get me off guard this time. I remember this trick. from the first dream.}  
  
Darrell whirled around as threw a fist forward, hitting Shin Akuma in the face.  
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
"Oh, did you?"  
  
Shin Akuma grabbed Darrell's arm and flung him over his shoulder. Darrell quickly rolled out of the way and got to his feet to see Akuma thrust his fist forward. Darrell blocked that punch, along with a few more attacks. Darrell returned with knee to the gut, but Akuma teleported away a few feet.  
  
"Hadouken!"  
  
Darrell brought a hand behind him and launched his one-handed blast to Akuma. Shin Akuma barely blocked it and dashed forward. Darrell started to block, but was caught off guard when Shin Akuma dropped to the ground and kicked at his legs.  
  
"Messatsu!!"  
  
Shin Akuma followed up with a Tatsumaki Zanku Kyaku, but this one resembled Sakura's new Haru Ichiban, taking Darrell with him. After about 15 hurricane kicks, Shin Akuma kicked him away with a final kick. Darrell's body flew into a tree several meters away and fell to the ground. Shin Akuma warped over as soon as he tried to get up off the ground.  
  
Darrell brushed himself off as he stood up and got back into stance, his aura glowing brighter.  
  
"Messatsu Gou-Rasen," Shin Akuma named the move he just did before warping over to Darrell's face, catching Darrell by surprise. Akuma elbowed him in the face before going into his three-hit Shoryuken.  
  
"Ggyaah!!" Darrell roared, half from pain and half from rage. He flipped in mid-air and smashed Shin Akuma in the head with a sledgehammer blow. Shin Akuma safe fell on the ground, but he wasn't expecting this next awkward move. Darrell ran into his next attack; a strong punch to the face, but oddly, Darrell didn't go into hit stun. He sort of rolled off the punch and caught Shin Akuma off guard with a roundhouse kick.  
  
"Furi-sutairu. Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku!!"  
  
Darrell landed the second roundhouse kick and went into his long hurricane kick. The whole move hit 12 times, sending Akuma spinning to the ground. Darrell recovered from his move and wiped the blood that was dripping off his lips {His punches really hurt. but at least I can contend with him. With my newfound power. I KNOW I can beat him!}  
  
Shin Akuma got to his feet and stared at the combatant in front of him. Both were battered from the others attacks, but neither showed any fatigue. or if there was any, they hid it. The two auras, Satsu red and golden yellow, were still in a battle of dominance.  
  
"You." Akuma said while holding a fist in front of him. "You. are quite a challenge."  
  
"I don't know if I should smile or be scared at that comment," Darrell replied.  
  
Shin Akuma smiled. "Really, you should be scared. for I'm going to pull out all the stops now. I'm just wondering if you can let alone survive."  
  
Darrell braced himself as Shin Akuma raised his fist up into the air and started collecting energy. It started to glow a purple tint as the wind started to pick up around the two.  
  
{What. is he doing and why is he using so much energy this early in the fight?} Darrell asked himself.  
  
"Kongou. Kokuretsu Zan!!"  
  
Shin Akuma slammed his fist into the ground, causing the energy to explode all around him. Darrell put his guard up just as the energy came to him and slammed into his body. He was pushed back from the force and was struggling to hold it off. {Come on. It has got to wear off soon.}  
  
Seconds passed very slowly and Akuma's blast was still working at Darrell's guard. He growled. then his arms gave out on him. The blast showed no mercy as it attacked Darrell's now vulnerable body, launching him across the field. He crashed into the grass and slid for a while until he stopped. He stayed down, groaning.  
  
"Ohh. That. took a lot out of me."  
  
"Come on, Darrell!"  
  
Darrell turned his head to see all his friends up on their feet. Hinata, the one who spoke to him, ran over to get him up on his feet. He gave her a look of disbelief as he stood up.  
  
"Hina. Hinata?" he asked.  
  
"I'd like to say. thank you. for all you did. Healing me. getting my confidence up. Here's my gift."  
  
Hinata held Darrell fists out in front of him and channeled her energy to him. Darrell felt the vigor that he lost during the Kongou Kokuretsu Zan return to him as his golden aura brightened to a new level. When she was done, Hinata looked into his eyes and said, "Go get him. Finish this fight. for us."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"STAY OUT OF THIS, WOMAN!!"  
  
Both turned to see Shin Akuma come down with a swift hand chop from above. He was coming too fast for either of them to counter.  
  
"Shoryuken!!"  
  
Ryu came out of nowhere and nailed Shin Akuma with is trademark Dragon Punch, knocking the demon back into the air. He landed and turned his head to Darrell and Hinata.  
  
"You know, that was pretty reckless of you to come into a fight like this," he scolded Hinata. "You should head back to where it's safe."  
  
Hinata nodded and ran off to the side as Darrell looked at him. Ryu had his light blue aura around him and his battle scares from Akuma were healed.  
  
"Sakura healed you. and everyone else," Darrell deducted. "Thanks for the back-up."  
  
Ryu didn't look at the kid, but he replied with, "You're welcome. Now, we must finish this man off before he can get the upper hand."  
  
Darrell nodded in agreement. "I know. Now I'm not going to hold back anymore!"  
  
Suddenly, a large burst of energy came from Shin Akuma as he stood up. His aura was at its maximum power now.  
  
"This is the END!!!"  
  
He clasped his hands to his side and a huge purple sphere of energy appeared. The air around him darkened to black as the sphere grew in size.  
  
"Messatsu. Gou."  
  
"THAT'S IT!!!" Darrell screamed as he started to charge his energy in his hands. A familiar red-orange ball of energy came into his hands...  
  
"I've had ENOUGH out of you!! Shakunetsu.Shinku."  
  
"Shinku."  
  
Darrell turned his attention to Ryu, who was charging his energy with him. "Ryu."  
  
"Let's do this."  
  
"HADOU!!"  
  
Shin Akuma fired his Hadouken and it resembled the first blast that injured everyone except Ryu and Darrell. As it rocketed forward, Ryu and Darrell got ready.  
  
"HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
"HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
The two warriors fired at the same time and their blasts combined into a swirl of red and blue. The now two blasts crashed into one another and electricity sprayed all over the area. Akuma's blast started to push forward. inch by inch.  
  
"Yes. YES!!" Shin Akuma yelled out triumphantly. "Now you will all DIE!!"  
  
"Heh. I don't. THINK SO!! Shakunetsu Burst X2!!!"  
  
"WHAT!!!"  
  
A yellow burst of energy emitted from Darrell's body causing the Shinku/Shakunetsu Shinku mixture to push forward. The Messatsu Gou-Hadou was starting to lose power. Shin Akuma's expression was turning to shock.  
  
"No. No."  
  
The Hadouken moved to about an a few inches in front of Akuma. but somehow Akuma managed to ward it off. He was straining.  
  
"How do you like that, huh?" Darrell asked. "Well you'll love this one. Shakunetsu Burst X3!!!"  
  
Another surge of energy. and the Hadouken moved until it reached Akuma's face.  
  
"NO!!!" Akuma screamed for dear life. Something he hardly EVER does.  
  
"Now this one's for my friends! Shakunetsu Burst. FINAL!!  
  
End of First Archive. 


	18. Second Archive: Start of a New Tournamen...

SECOND ARCHIVE: TURN OF THE CENTURY TOURNAMENT  
  
18. The Start of a new Tournament  
  
NOTE: This chapter has some nudity and sexual themes. The third or fourth warning that I had to point out.  
  
It was all over. The Hadouken made contact. and exploded. A blinding flash of light covered the area. and when it disappeared, there wasn't a trace of Shin Akuma. Not even a shard of him. Everyone looked at the carnage Ryu and Darrell made.  
  
"He's. gone?" Darrell asked in an uneasy tone.  
  
"I guess," Sakura K. answered. She looked at her twin and asked, "Can you sense him, sis?"  
  
Sakura S. concentrated for a bit. and then opened her eyes. "He's nowhere to be found. He couldn't have got away from that blast. He's as good as dead."  
  
Darrell's aura changed from yellow to red-orange. then disappeared altogether. He dropped to his knees, staring at the little grass that remained. He looked at his fist. and muttered the words he wanted to say from the beginning.  
  
"I. I beat him. I beat Akuma."  
  
Everyone stared at him. then he shouted the words out so everyone could here.  
  
"YEAH!!! I did it!! Along with Hinata and Ryu's help. He's gone!! Alright!!!"  
  
He sprung up and held his fist up in the air in victory. A huge smile crossed his face.  
  
"You know. I never seen you this happy, Darrell," Sakura K. mentioned while crossing her arms.  
  
Darrell turned his head to look at his friend. "I'm just. so happy. I couldn't do it without you guys."  
  
"Whatever," Sean replied while rolling his eyes.  
  
"Kid, you have some major skills," Ken congratulated. "I mean, with moves like that, you could really move up the ranks in the Turn of the Century tournament coming up."  
  
"What?" Darrell asked while raising an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that you expect me to fight again in a tournament? I'll have to get back to you on that. I know that I'll be sore for weeks because of this."  
  
Ken smiled. "Don't worry! The tournament is in July, next month. You'll have plenty of time to recuperate. And it's in Tokyo, so you won't have to do any traveling."  
  
"How do you know so much about it?"  
  
"Well, I co-fund it, so of course I know about it."  
  
Darrell stared at Ken for awhile.  
  
{A tournament to show my skills against the best in the world. I could really get myself known if I work hard enough.}  
  
"Okay, Ken. You got yourself a deal. I'll participate."  
  
"Okay, then. You might need to get a team up if you want to. There are two segments to the tournament, team and single. By the looks of it, it seems as if you, Sakura, and Hinata specialize in teams, so I expect you four to be there."  
  
"Wait a minute," Sakura K. said. "I've been in the last tournament and the maximum amount of people on a team was three. Did you guys change it again?"  
  
Ken nodded.  
  
"Well, I'm in. What about you two?"  
  
Both Sakura S. and Hinata shot Sakura K. a look. "Of course I'll be in it if you are in, sis," the Satsu twin answered. "I'll never miss a fight like this."  
  
Hinata giggled a bit. "Yeah, I'll join. I got nothing else to do this summer."  
  
"So it's settled!" Ken finished. "Now. let's go. I know that you are pretty tired, kid."  
  
Darrell gave Ken a meek look. "Of all the people that I can heal, I can't heal myself."  
  
"Darrell."  
  
Darrell turned his attention to Ryu, who had his arms crossed. He had a look of determination on his face.  
  
"Yeah.?"  
  
"I'm looking forward to having a match with you. In your eyes is the soul of a true warrior."  
  
Darrell didn't say anything back to him. He simply smiled weakly. Ryu turned his back to the group after saying his good-byes and went on to train for the new tournament. As Ryu went out of view, Darrell's eyes started to close. and he lost consciousness.  
  
----- -----  
  
ONE WEEK LATER.  
  
"WHAT, BOTAN?! Do you actually expect me to fight in another tournament after the mess I went through in the Dark Tournament? Are you CRAZY!?"  
  
"Chill out, Yusuke. This time you don't have to worry about demons. This tournament is right here in Tokyo with human fighters."  
  
"If that's the case, then I'll fight. It seems way too easy if there all human."  
  
"Well. they might be human, but they have all sorts of special abilities. Some have energy attacks like your Spirit Gun. What do you say about that?"  
  
14-year old Yusuke Urameshi stared at Botan, the. Grim Reaper sort to speak. It had been one month since the dreaded Dark Tournament and Yusuke was planning to use his summer vacation to heal his aching body, but with this new tournament coming around the door, Yusuke now needed some hardcore reason to participate in this tournament.  
  
"Botan," Yusuke started, "give me one good reason I should really join this tournament."  
  
Botan flashed a smile as she held up a flyer for the tournament. Yusuke snatched it from her hand and read it from top to bottom. Once he reached the bottom. he almost freaked out.  
  
"10,000,000 Yen for first prize?!?" he shouted out.  
  
"Take it, stupid!"  
  
Yusuke saw his rival, Kazuma Kuwabara, walk into his room. Yusuke shot him a look of annoyance.  
  
"How in the world did you get in here?" he asked.  
  
"Don't worry about that," Kuwabara answered. "If that much money is being given away, then I'm going to enter no matter how battered my body is."  
  
"That's because your brain is too small to comprehend when it's time not to fight." Yusuke responded flatly.  
  
"Let's not get started, Yusuke. I'm supposed to be on your team."  
  
"Yes. I think an internal conflict within a team two weeks before the tournament even starts would be a pretty bad sign."  
  
Everyone's attention turned to the door again; this time it was the demon fox, Kurama leaning on the doorframe. As usual, his expression was cool.  
  
"How is everyone getting into my house.?" Yusuke asked under his breath before saying out loud, "Let me guess, Kurama. You're gonna fight, too?"  
  
"I could really use the money to boost my mom's financial status." he answered.  
  
"Hey..." Kuwabara started to look around nervously.  
  
"What's with you?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"Normally when Kurama is with us, that little runt Hiei is right behind him."  
  
"You should really watch what you say."  
  
Kuwabara's face froze in fear as he felt the sharp blade of a sword on the back of his head. On the dealing side of it was Hiei, whose expression was as cold as it always was.  
  
"Like I said, you must be a riot at parties," Yusuke joked as Hiei looked up to him. "I guess you're in this one, too, right?"  
  
Hiei scoffed. "The only reason I'll fight is because I'm totally bored. I bet I can take the whole lot of the fighters single-handedly."  
  
"That's all nice and all, but would you PLEASE get your sword off me?"  
  
Hiei granted Kuwabara's request and put his sword away. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as Yusuke glanced at Botan.  
  
"Hey, you said that these guys know a few moves, huh? Well then. I guess I won't hold back while I'm fighting."  
  
"So it's settled!" Botan cheered. "I don't think Koenma would have a case for you after that win in the Dark Tournament."  
  
----- -----  
  
Two men with long swords were battling it out in a barren arena. The Japanese one with the headband rushed forward with his sword out in front of him then took off into the air. The blond haired swordsman from Sweden blocked it and responded with a sword swipe.  
  
"Sonic Slash!"  
  
He created a yellow blast of energy from his sword, but the Japanese swordsman stuck his sword out to slash it in half. As he landed, the blond haired fighter stuck his sword into the earth and waved his hand through his hair.  
  
"You're just as good as ever."  
  
"Yeah. I know."  
  
"Hmm. maybe we should take our skills out of our rivalry this time."  
  
"What do you mean, Kayin?"  
  
"I mean there's a new tournament coming around the bin, and it isn't the Battle Arena Toshinden this time, Eiji. It's a meeting of the best fighters in existence. This is the moment I've been waiting for."  
  
Eiji held his sword on his shoulder. "Oh, really? Or is this an excuse to get away from your daughter?"  
  
Kayin flashed a nervous smile. "If that was true. then why would I invite Ellis to join our team?"  
  
"You brought Ellis into this? How did you do that?"  
  
"She was pretty anxious to get away from Gaia for a while."  
  
Eiji laughed. "Who wouldn't? So. what time is this thing?"  
  
"Two weeks from now."  
  
"Hmm. I'm guessing it's in Japan somewhere right?"  
  
"Right in Tokyo."  
  
"All right, Kayin. You got yourself a deal. I'll do this."  
  
----- -----  
  
"I see."  
  
"Well, how about it? You could really show the world how a zoanthrope can fight, Long. and the payoff is pretty good too. Kenji is in, also."  
  
"I really don't know, Yugo. I."  
  
"What's the matter? You just fought me a few minutes ago. I don't see what the problem is."  
  
"That's because you are also a zoanthrope. I hardly doubt the contestants in this tournament would be expecting a team that can turn into fighting animals."  
  
"You've got serious issues, Master Long."  
  
Long turned around to see his ex-student Uriko stare at him. Her glare was pretty hard for someone as cute as her.  
  
"Oh. Uriko. Hey, how did you even know that I'd be here?" Long asked.  
  
"Hah! For one, I tagged along with Yugo, and two, I knew you were going to going to watch over Cronos after that little incident. I'm going to be in this tournament. also. It would be an honor to fight with you again."  
  
Long stared at Uriko for a second then looked at Yugo and sighed. "What about Gado?"  
  
"Please! Gado has a life now. I can't even find him around our old stomping grounds anymore. He and Jenny really hit it off."  
  
Uriko just stared at Yugo as Long gave an answer. "Okay, Yugo. You got me in a good mood. Just be lucky that I can control my Tiger side now, or else I would have never agreed to this."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Hmm. Another party, huh? I was waiting for this."  
  
Morrigan got word from Felicia about the next big tournament. Ever since the Mark of the Millennium ended, she was bored in her mansion, all alone. She sat in one of her chairs in her enormous Rumpus room, staring at one of her weird statues. As she sat, a horde of bats surrounded her.  
  
"It was about time. I was worried that I'd have to go and get my own fun."  
  
"Ah, come on, sis! You were really that bored without me?"  
  
Morrigan almost jumped out of her chair when she heard that voice. She looked around her, searching for whom the voice came from.  
  
"Who said that?"  
  
The voice let out a giggle. "It must have been a long while for you to forget your own sister. or should I say. your other source of power."  
  
Morrigan stood up, letting her bats form her bat wings and ears. She knew who it was. Only one person would call her 'sister'. but it was impossible for her to be alive. She was murdered a long time ago. but she had a real strong hunch.  
  
"Lil."  
  
Before Morrigan could even get the name out, someone tackled her from behind knocking them both to the ground. Morrigan didn't even struggle. She just rolled onto her back and stared in disbelief at the young succubus that was lying on top of her.  
  
"Lilith." she finished the word she was about to say.  
  
Lilith had the same features as her 'older' sister, only her eyes were slightly wider, her outfit was blue and red instead of black and green and her purple hair was worn much shorter than Morrigan's.  
  
"How in the world. did you get here? I though you were."  
  
Lilith giggled even more. "I can't tell you that. but I want to know about this party you were talking about. I love parties."  
  
Morrigan smiled. "Hmm. you never change, do you?" she asked as she gently ran her fingers through her sister's short hair.  
  
"I should say the same to you," Lilith said with a smirk on her face. "You still can't resist your. urges, huh?"  
  
Morrigan didn't answer. She continued running through her sister's hair. Lilith was about to resist, but her own urges kicked in and she started to return the favor. Without noticing it, both covered themselves with their 'bats' wings, looking at each other lustfully.  
  
"You can't tell how much I missed you." Morrigan purred into her sister's ear.  
  
"I can tell. by the way your acting." Lilith responded. "But before you start your little greeting. tell me about the party. It sounds exciting!"  
  
"It is."  
  
"Well. I'm waiting. unless you want me to. pry it open for you."  
  
Lilith brought a leg up Morrigan's thigh in a weird position, turning her sister on a bit. Morrigan held on tighter to Lilith's wings as she slid her hand from Lilith's hair to her upper body. Lilith gasped at her sister's touch on her soft skin and responded by holding Morrigan around her neck, pulling herself in. Their bodies were touching now, leg to leg, breast to breast. Suddenly, Morrigan's clothes disappeared, making her sister blush beet red.  
  
"Now see what you made me do." Morrigan said, also blushing as her sister saw her in the nude. and strangely, she giggled again.  
  
"I guess I need to be fair about this."  
  
In an instant, Morrigan saw Lilith's flesh, and her face reddened even more. "Well, you've matured."  
  
This time, Lilith didn't waste time with words as she fell on top of Morrigan. Both sisters where tangled on the tile floor, letting their emotions run wild. Eventually, they got to the matter concerning the tournament, but not for a while.  
  
----- -----  
  
TWO WEEKS LATER.  
  
"So. this is where the tournament is being held at." Darrell marveled. "It's beautiful."  
  
"You got that right," Hinata added while looking around throughout all the decorations.  
  
"It looks nice, but I can't wait to get started with the fights," Sakura S. said while fixing her black handguards. "This is where the best of the best are fighting at. I'm so excited!"  
  
Sakura K. just looked around to see anyone who she might know. It was three weeks since Darrell and Ryu defeated Shin Akuma and the group found themselves in the main lobby at the tournament main building in Tokyo. The new Turn of the Century tournament attracted fighters from all over the world and the lobby was overflowing with combatants. The four spent the last three weeks training in all aspects and were waiting on a bench for someone who works here to help them register.  
  
"So. this is going to be a test for all of us," Darrell said. "I'm ready." He hunched forward on the bench to adjust his posture.  
  
"Hmmm.." Sakura K. turned her head from left to right, scanning the fighters. She was looking for someone. but she didn't know who.  
  
"Sakura Kasugano!"  
  
{Oh, no. I know that voice anywhere.}  
  
Sakura K. looked to her right, and was met by her friend, Kei. She ran over to her, her expression wasn't very pleased. Sakura flashed a nervous smile.  
  
"Oh. hi, Kei," Sakura K. greeted. "What's up?"  
  
SMACK!!  
  
Hinata and Darrell turned around as they heard a thunderous smacking noise. Sakura K. was on the ground, swirls in her eyes as Kei leveled her.  
  
"Whoa." Darrell let out, sweatdropping.  
  
"Sakura! How dare you! I've been looking for you for months. Why didn't you tell me that you were going to points around the world?"  
  
Sakura slowly got to her feet. "You want to know why? I knew you would have a cow, just like your having now. Why do you keep trying to keep me in Tokyo? I need to move out every once and a while. Besides, I had a good reason why I left."  
  
"Like what?" Kei demanded.  
  
Sakura K. simply pointed to the girl sitting behind her. Kei stood in front of the girl, who was looking the other way, inspecting her.  
  
"Hey, you," Kei called while tapping on her shoulder. The figure turned to Kei. and Kei almost screamed.  
  
"What's your problem?" the girl asked.  
  
Kei backed away, her face in shock. She shifted her glance from the dark skinned girl then back to Sakura. then back to the girl.  
  
"You. you look just like Sakura!" Kei finally yelled out.  
  
"Yeah. I've been meaning to tell you, Kei. This is my twin 'sister', Sakura Satsu. I've been meaning to introduce you to her."  
  
"Sakura. why didn't I see her before?"  
  
"Because she has only been around for about three months. Let me explain what happened."  
  
Sakura K. told Kei everything that happened to them ever since they left until now. Boy, was Kei surprised.  
  
"So. you are going to fight once again, huh?" Kei asked, her hands on her hips.  
  
Sakura K. and Sakura S. both nodded. Kei sighed heavily.  
  
"I guess I can't stop either of you," Kei admitted. "Good luck, Sakura. Both of you. I'll be cheering for you."  
  
"You are gonna need it!!"  
  
{Now I DEFINETLY know who that is.}  
  
Sakura spun around to see a girl roughly her height, wearing a red designer shirt and blue jeans with red boots. She had yellow locks for hair and blue eyes. She stared hard into Sakura K.'s eyes.  
  
"Sakura Kasugano."  
  
"Karin Kanzuki. What in the world are you doing here.?"  
  
Karin scoffed. "Like you can't tell? I'm here to fight in the group part of the tournament! I can't wait to fight you again, Sakura."  
  
"You? In the team tournament? Who could possibly be on your team?"  
  
Karin raised an eyebrow. She heard Sakura's voice, but Sakura didn't say anything. She looked to the right. and gasped.  
  
"There. are two of you!?"  
  
Sakura S. smiled. "Surprise!! Nice to meet you again, Karin."  
  
"I've. never seen you before. Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Sakura's twin: Sakura Satsu, but everyone calls me Sakura S."  
  
Karin stared at Sakura's lighter form. "How.?"  
  
"I guess everyone I know wants to know how I got a twin."  
  
Once again, Sakura let Karin know how Sakura Satsu came to be. By the end of the story, Karin was even more excited than normal.  
  
"That's just one more challenge to look up to," Karin said while smiling. "I can't wait to see you guys in the ring."  
  
"Same here," Sakura K. brought back. As Karin and Kei went off, a woman in a blue uniform approached the four young fighters.  
  
"Okay, you guys. I'm here to register you into the Turn of the Century tournament. May I have your names please?"  
  
"Hinata Wakaba."  
  
"Sakura Kasugano."  
  
"Sakura Satsu."  
  
"Darrell Markis."  
  
The three girls shot Darrell looks of disbelief.  
  
"Uh. Darrell?" Sakura S. started. "Why did you go by your middle name? I thought-"  
  
"Sakura. I have my reasons," Darrell replied quickly while looking at the woman.  
  
"Okay. I'm guessing that you all are going to participate in the team league, right?"  
  
All four of the teens nodded.  
  
"All right then." The woman wrote down some things on the clipboard she was carrying. then asked, "May I ask who the team captain is?"  
  
The fighters looked at one another. Neither expected to be asked that question.  
  
"How about you, Sakura K.?" Darrell suggested.  
  
Sakura looked at Darrell. "Hey. How about you? You're the strongest."  
  
Darrell shook his head. "No. I'm not exactly leader material."  
  
Sakura sighed then looked at the woman. "I guess I am."  
  
The woman scribbled some more. then gave Sakura K. a number on a piece of paper. Sakura took it and read what it said.  
  
"C-8"  
  
"That is your team number to determine who you fight in the first round. You'll be taking on. C-7; Dan Hibiki, Joe Higashi and Ran Hibiki. The fight starts at 2:30 P.M."  
  
"2:30. That's an hour from now," Hinata commented.  
  
"Until that time," the woman continued, "you can check in at the hotel next to this building then head to the stadium to stretch out, get something to eat, whatever. There will be a schedule for the tournament on your hotel door when you arrive."  
  
And with that, the woman left, leaving the four with their choices.  
  
"Dan Hibiki. Joe Higashi. Ran Hibiki." Hinata ran through the combatants in the first round. Then something hit her.  
  
"RAN HIBIKI!!" she screamed out loud, getting the attention of everyone within earshot.  
  
"Geez, Hinata. What was that about?" Sakura S. asked while cleaning out her ears.  
  
"Ran. She's a classmate of mine. How in the world did she get in? She isn't much of a fighter."  
  
"Wait. did she. say Dan Hibiki, too?" Sakura Kasugano asked. Her voice was hesitant. Her twin nodded. for she knew what that meant.  
  
"This won't end well," the dark Sakura mumbled under her breath.  
  
Darrell cocked another eyebrow. He was about to say something, but. "I guess I'll find out later. Now, let's go. I want to check out our room."  
  
"Talk about comfy," Kuwabara commented while looking at their team's hotel room. It was pretty big and decorative with the essentials (bathroom, bedroom, T.V.) and the walls were a light blue color.  
  
"Yeah. They really know how to doll up the joint," Yusuke added. "Feels girly."  
  
"I think it's enchanting." Botan disagreed on Yusuke's analysis.  
  
"Yeah. that's because you don't see things my way," Yusuke shot back. "Whenever I see light blue all over the place."  
  
"I can't believe that you are wasting your time on such petty things." Hiei interrupted. He was in the corner of the room, looking out the window.  
  
"What else am I supposed to do? We're going to slaughter the competition in this tournament, so I might as well check out some stuff."  
  
"Well do me a favor then and do that outside. I want to concentrate on who I'm going to hurt first."  
  
"Whatever, Hiei," Yusuke shot back while heading to the door. Just as he was about to turn the knob, he got cut off by Kuwabara.  
  
"Hey, Urameshi."  
  
"What is it now?" Yusuke asked, annoyed.  
  
"I. got this feeling. Someone is really strong nearby."  
  
"Really? Just how strong are we talking about?"  
  
Kuwabara stared at him with a worried expression on his face. "Well. I don't want to say it, but. it seems as if whoever it is is as strong as Toguro. and it doesn't seem to be just one. There's a horde of them. It's like. everyone who is fighting here has a secret power."  
  
"You're kidding. right?"  
  
Kuwabara shook his head. "This might not be as easy as we thought."  
  
"Now I'm interested." Hiei added his remark.  
  
"Botan, I thought you told me that this was a human tournament," Yusuke complained. Botan just shrugged.  
  
"I. guess I could be wrong." she said nervously.  
  
Yusuke groaned before exiting the room.  
  
----- -----  
  
"So, Kyo., who does it say we're fighting first?" a young fighter wearing a black fighting suit with a white headband asked.  
  
"Relax, Shingo," a man wearing a dark green suit and white shoes and headband said while holding the tournament paper. "It says here. Team C-5: Kim and his sons. Sounds interesting if you ask me."  
  
Shingo and Kyo were in their hotel room getting ready for their match at 3:00. Kyo put down the tournament bracket and stared at his teammate/student.  
  
"I caught a look at a lot of teams before we got here. There are a lot of strong guys here. No matter. I'll still burn through them."  
  
Shingo smiled. "That sounds like my master to me!"  
  
"It sounds more like overconfidence if you ask me," the blond haired man that stood next to the door replied. His hair stood on end as he wore black clothes and earrings. He had his arms crossed while staring at Kyo.  
  
"Shut up, Benimaru," Kyo said flatly.  
  
Benimaru just shrugged. "Whatever you say. Look, I'm going to look for some fans."  
  
"You mean girls?" Shingo asked while rolling his eyes. "I don't know why you even try."  
  
Benimaru didn't answer. He just turned the knob and left the room. Kyo returned to the paper for the first day of fighting. The tournament was going to be a week and a half long, so he was looking for. them. His eyes scanned the teams listed. and stopped on number 21.  
  
"There he is." he said loudly. "Ryu."  
  
He remembered how close he was to beating Ryu the first time he fought Ryu in the Millennium Fight tournament and how he managed to beat him in the Mark of the Millennium tournament. Kyo had a hunch that he'll be here at this Turn of the Century tournament, so he entered as well, just to break the tiebreaker.  
  
"Looks like he has some new teammates this time. Hey, wait a minute." Kyo's eyes rested on team C-25. He couldn't help but be surprised at the team. It was Xion, Shenlong, Remy. and his archrival, Iori Yagami.   
  
{Weird. Normally, Iori's a loaner. Why would he have 3 fighters with him, let alone 1? This is going to be VERY interesting.}  
  
----- -----  
  
55 MINUTES LATER  
  
"FINAL.!"  
  
The Russian Red Cyclone, Zangief, started to make the grab for his most powerful grappling move, the Final Atomic Buster, but the boxer he was facing was just too fast for him. The boxer backed away from Zangief's grasp and dashed back in.  
  
"This match is over!" he yelled out as he nailed Zangief with a jumping uppercut, knocking him into the air, then another small uppercut, then a spinning uppercut that sent Zangief to the ground. The crowd went into an uproar as soon as he hit the ring canvas. The announcer started his play- by-play immediately.  
  
"Did you see that? Dudley totally mopped the floor with his trademark move, the Rocket Uppercut! I'll start the count. 1. 2."  
  
Dudley reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a rose. He looked at it as the announcer continued the count then took a sniff.  
  
"Hmm. Another victory." Dudley said silently while looking down at the wrestler motionless body.  
  
"7. 8. 9. and 10! It's a rap, folks! The winners of this round are Team C- 3: Dudley and Falcon!!"  
  
Dudley tossed the rose onto Zangief's body while his butler came into the ring. Dudley held out a gloved hand and grabbed his jacket then put it on.  
  
"Good show, sir," the butler congratulated.  
  
Dudley smiled. "I know. This was nothing, though, compared to the real boxing circuit."  
  
"Well, you can't say that this will be easier. This is the ultimate fight."  
  
The person talking was Falcon, wearing his trademark red flying uniform and goggles. His blonde hair was set into a cool hairstyle. He was waiting at the side of the competition ring as Dudley stepped down with his butler.  
  
"We've won this one.," Falcon continued, ".but I want to take a look at this next fight. Both of these teams are pretty young and talented from what I heard."  
  
"Hmm. I guess we need to check them out." Dudley said as all three of them sat on the sidelines while the ring announcer began his introduction for the next fight.  
  
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen! The next bout will start off right now. Team C-7: Dan, Ran and Joe vs. C-8: Sakura K., Hinata, Sakura S. and Darrell! May the first contestants please step into the ring?"  
  
The two boxers from London gazed at the African-American from the C-8 team. He was wearing blue jeans with a white Japanese designer shirt and blue handguards. His face was dotted with spots, but he didn't seem to mind. He stepped into the ring and walked over to the announcer.  
  
"Okay, I'm ready," the teenage boy told the announcer. "Where's the other guy?"  
  
Before he could respond, a body fell into the other side of the ring with a bang. Both the boy and the announcer sweatdropped as the man in the pink gi stood up and brushed himself off.  
  
"Uh." the boy let out, feeling embarrassed on the other fighters' entrance.  
  
"Ah. I've got to work on my entrances." the man said as he walked over to the announcer, giving the boy a glare and a smile at the same time.  
  
"Okay. Ladies and gentlemen! The first two combatants have stepped into the ring. For team C-7 is the Millennium Fight 2000 co-champion and the master of the Saikyo style; Dan Hibiki!!"  
  
The crowd went into a roar of applause, though it wasn't as strong as the one they gave for Dudley and Falcon. Dan raised a fist into the air, welcoming to applause he got.  
  
"YEAH!!" he yelled out as he let his ego grow.  
  
"Now, for team C-8 is a newcomer into the fight circuit. Hailing from the United States, give it up for Darrell Markis!"  
  
Surprisingly, Darrell got a bigger applause than Dan, and he just gave a thumbs-up to the crowd.  
  
"Thanks. I promise to give you a show. Get ready, everyone!"  
  
"Okay, you two," the announcer gathered the two combatants, "I'm sure that Dan knows the rules of the battle, but I'm not sure about Darrell. This is how it goes. The two of you fight it out until either time is called or one of you in knocked out till the count of ten. The winner faces the next fighter on the opposing team and the pattern continues until one team wins. If you are knocked out the ring by chance, you have until the count of 20 to get back in. If there is an event of a double K.O., both fighters are eliminated and the other fighters come in. If there is a draw with the last fighters of both teams, then a sudden death battle occurs with one of the fighters on each team. If that ends on a draw, then the whole thing's a stalemate.  
  
"Weapons are allowed only if the opposing fighter does not die at the hands of the weapon wielder. Guns are not allowed. Only swords, batons and anything in the area of that. Other than that, anything goes, so without further ado. let's get this party started!! Round 1: Dan vs. Darrell. Ready?"  
  
Both fighters got into stance as the crowd got excited.  
  
"Come on, Darrell!" Sakura K. geared her partner up. "You can do this! He should be no problem!"  
  
"All right, brother," a girl on the other team yelled out. Her black hair was curled a bit behind her in a weird ponytail that went over her shoulder. "This is it. Don't let your ego get in the way."  
  
"FIGHT!!"  
  
Darrell started with an overhead punch that Dan blocked. He followed with a side kick, but Dan rolled backwards to avoid it.  
  
"Ikuzora!!" Dan yelled out as he got out of his roll to shake his fist at Darrell. Darrell didn't pay much attention to the taunt as he hopped into the air for a short while to deliver a dropping sweep kick. As soon as Darrell landed, Dan jumped and held his fist out again.  
  
"Yahoo!!"  
  
"Hey.! Are you going to fight me or are you going to taunt me?" Darrell asked in an annoyed tone of voice.  
  
"Sorry, kid," Dan answered as he dropped to the ground. "I can't resist. It seems as if you're the type of guy who just wants to fight in out. All right then. Let me show you the power of the Saikyo style!!"  
  
"You do that." Darrell provoked as he held out his fists in front of him. He seemed to gather up his energy.  
  
"Shakunetsuken!!"  
  
Darrell's fists shot into flames, surprising Dan completely.  
  
"What is that?" he asked.  
  
"Darrell started pulling out the stops with a special move he called the Shakunetsuken," the ring announcer yelled over his mic. "It doesn't take a genius to find out that this rookie's punches are going to hurt now!"  
  
"Let's do this thing!" Darrell shouted as he dashed in to land a blow to Dan. He got into range. but.  
  
"Koryuken!!"  
  
Dan shot into the air, knocking Darrell back with his Shoryuken-type punch. Darrell safe fell quickly and caught Dan on the way down with an uppercut, setting his body aflame. As Darrell ran over to capitalize, the announcer started to do the play-by-play."  
  
"Even though Dan hit Darrell away with that maneuver, he couldn't stop Darrell from getting the job done with a burning blow. Now the rookie is hammering away at the ex-champion's defenses."  
  
Sure enough, that was what Darrell was doing. He wasn't performing the Raging Knuckle, but his punches were fast enough to keep Dan on the defensive for awhile. Dan finally broke up the action with a knee to the stomach, breaking off Darrell's chain combo.  
  
"Dah, Dah, Seyha!"  
  
Dan hit Darrell with three alternating kicks while in mid-air, the last one knocking Darrell to the ground.  
  
"Dan hits his opponent with his Dankukyaku, but Darrell's quick to his feet and isn't going to take that lightly!"  
  
Darrell dodged a roundhouse kick from Dan and planted another burning fist into his face, but this time Darrell twisted around to land an elbow with the other arm, then finished with a strong roundhouse kick, knocking Dan down this time.  
  
"That was my Shakunetsuken Snake," Dan introduced his chain move as his fists cooled down. "Now try this one, Dan! Hadouken!!"  
  
Darrell brought back both his hands, collected some energy, and launched a blue blast of energy to Dan, who managed to see it in the nick of time.  
  
"Gadouken!" Dan called out as he held up a hand and threw it forward, releasing a small blue ball of energy. The two blasts were about to collide. but Dan's Gadouken disappeared just before contact, leaving Darrell's Hadouken to travel on and hit its target.  
  
"Dan is sent reeling from Darrell's Hadouken as his Gadouken failed to cancel out," the announcer informed the crowd, whom were loving the action inside the ring. "Now he's closing in."  
  
The girls on Darrell's team were cheering him on as he and Dan exchanged blows and blocks. It was martial art poetry in motion for a good 15 seconds or so, the stadium in an uproar. The melee action broke with an unexpected move from the rookie: a low kick to Dan's legs, breaking his momentum.  
  
"I got you!!" Darrell screamed as he nailed Dan in the stomach with a strong punch then.  
  
"Rekka. Nakkura!!"  
  
"Look out, everyone. Darrell just pulled out a super move! The Rekka Nakkura, he said. He's now pummeling Dan with an onslaught of punches. and he doesn't seem to be letting up."  
  
Darrell landed about 18 punches and uppercuts on Dan's body, ending it with a strong Shakunetsuken punch to the face. Dan's body once again went into flames and when he hit the ground, his gi was tattered and his skin had small burns on them.  
  
"And Dan goes down! Here's the count, folks. 1. 2. 3."  
  
"That's how ya do it!" Darrell yelled out triumphantly while holding up a fist.  
  
"Come on, bro! Stand up!"  
  
Darrell's attention was caught by a female voice to his right. He saw the girl with the weird hairstyle encouraging her brother to continue the fight. He stared at her for a while.  
  
{That must be Ran. Dan's little sister and Hinata's schoolmate. Hinata mentioned that she wasn't much of a fighter. I guess I'll see for myself later.}  
  
"Saikyo-ryuu ougi.!"  
  
"What!?"  
  
Darrell spun around to meet Dan's fist in his stomach, then his chin.  
  
"Koryu-rekka!!"  
  
"Dan got up at the count of 7 and just nailed an unsuspecting Darrell with a super of his own. The Koryu-rekka! I guess Darrell should stop looking in the audience for someone he knows and concentrate on the fight."  
  
Dan finished his super move with another Koryuken, and Darrell hit the canvas. Dan raised his fist into the air while smiling.  
  
"Hey, kid! You were looking for your mother or something?" Dan taunted. "You should never leave your eyes off a fighter like me!"  
  
The announcer was already counting as Sakura K. started yelling some encouragement.  
  
"Get up, Darrell! I know you still got a lot of spunk let in you!"  
  
Darrell struggled to sit up as the announcer yelled out 6. His red-orange aura covered his body.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, Darrell his getting back up, and by the looks of his aura, it looks as if he has something big planned for Dan!"  
  
"Heh. your Koryu-rekka was pretty good," Darrell congratulated, "but it won't win you this fight. It's already won!"  
  
"Oh, really?" Dan asked while cocking an eyebrow. "I guess you should meet my specialty move then!"  
  
Dan rolled forward right into Darrell's face. then.  
  
"Hisshou! (Certain Victory!!)"  
  
Dan unleashed his own barrage of attacks while getting out of the roll. He ended his combo with a Koryuken, soaring high into the air.  
  
'Biraiken!!" he yelled out.  
  
"Sorry. That wasn't a victory."  
  
Dan looked down in shock. and saw the kid charge up a red ball of energy in his hands.  
  
"Shakunetsu Shinku. Hadouken!!"  
  
As soon as Dan got to Darrell's height, Darrell unloaded his burning Hadouken at point blank range. and the stadium could hear Dan's long cry of agony. When the Hadouken finally exploded, Dan was sent catapulting to the ground. and the crowd went crazy.  
  
"Unbelievable!!" the announcer cried out. "Darrell just blasted Dan with what seemed like his trademark move." He took a look at Dan's body. and continued. "It looks as if Dan is out for the count, so I'll start counting. 1. 2. 3."  
  
Darrell looked over to Ran, who was staring at him. No one exchanged any words as the announcer finished the count.  
  
"9. and 10.! That's it for round 1! The winner is the rookie, Darrell!"  
  
The crowd once again went into an uproar and Dan got up with the aid of Darrell.  
  
"You're. pretty strong, kid," Dan said while getting up. "I. just want you to know that I. let you win that."  
  
"Oh please, Dan," Darrell shot back while giving him a look of skepticism. "I beat you fair and square. Don't humiliate yourself."  
  
Dan only gave a weak smile as he got out of the ring on his own free will. Darrell watched him go. then he heard the announcer call out, "Okay, may the next combatant from the C-7 team step in?"  
  
Darrell turned around to see his next opponent. and gasped when he saw who it was.  
  
End of Chapter 18 


	19. Ran the Photographer

19. Ran the Photographer  
  
Darrell looked at the girl in the blue jeans and baby blue shirt as she walked to the center of the ring. He wasn't looking at her in particular. It was the camera she was holding.  
  
{Totally weird.}, Darrell thought as the two started to face off. Ran got herself ready by stretching her body out. When she was done, she nodded at the ring announcer, signaling that she was ready to start the fight.  
  
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen! Round 2 is on the way! This time it's Darrell from C-8 vs. Ran from C-7. Ready.? Fight!"  
  
"Before we start." Ran said, causing Darrell to get out of stance. "I just want you to know that it must have taken you some time to come up with the strength to beat my brother. He is pretty strong for someone so ignorant. I just would like to take a picture of you for my tournament scrapbook. I'm taking pictures of everyone."  
  
Darrell raised an eyebrow at Ran's weird request.  
  
{A scrapbook, huh? Well, I think it is weird to take pictures during a fight. but I guess it wouldn't hurt.}  
  
"All right," he said. "I'll do it."  
  
Ran smiled before getting her camera ready. "Okay, all I want you to do is charge up one of those Hadoukens. With your skill, I think you can hold it long enough for me to take the pictures."  
  
Darrell didn't think anything of it. He got into stance and charged up a blue Hadouken. Ran immediately started flashing pictures. First she got a few pictures from the front then sort of warped to the right to get a few from his side.  
  
{That move. is very familiar.} Hinata thought. She knew she saw that somewhere before. when she saw Ran fight months ago. Then it hit her.  
  
"Darrell!" she shouted out. "Get out of your stance and shield your eyes! She's using her Exclusive Interview super!"  
  
Darrell turned his head to his partner. "Her what?" he asked, confused.  
  
By this time, Ran jumped from his left where she took her third picture to where she stood at before. Darrell turned back to face Ran. she flashed her camera. and before he knew it, he was on the ground. in pain. and spots in his eyes.  
  
"Wow," Ran gasped while giggling. "I never thought I'd pull that off in a tournament."  
  
The announcer just stared at Ran for a second. then caught himself. "Wow! Ran came out with a sneaky surprise attack at the start of the round. I don't know what just happened, but somehow Ran laid out Darrell. Now then. 1. 2."  
  
Sakura K. looked at Hinata and asked, "What. just happened?"  
  
"Ran. has a special camera that hurts whoever she takes a picture of," Hinata explained. "That's the strongest move in her disposal; the Exclusive Interview. She tricks her opponent do a pose so she can take a few pictures. At first it doesn't do anything. but the last photo."  
  
"5. 6. 7. 8. Hey. Wait a minute."  
  
The announcer stopped the count as Darrell rolled backwards and got to his knees. He used his arm to wipe the spots from his eyes before looking up at Ran and asked in a weak tone, "What. in the world. did you do? I couldn't even see your attack."  
  
Ran smiled while putting her camera under her arm. "I can't tell you that. Maybe. I'll tell you after I win."  
  
"Not likely." Darrell muttered while getting to his feet. He got into his fighting stance. "It has to be the flash in your camera. I'll just have to avoid that."  
  
Ran wasn't fazed. "How can you avoid it if you can't dodge it? Flashes move at the speed of light. Unless you can teleport, you can't get away from my camera."  
  
"Well then. I guess it doesn't hurt to try!"  
  
Darrell rushed in, but Ran sidestepped and flashed another picture, hitting him in the back. He faceplanted and pushed himself off the ground. He felt malice above him and rolled to the side as Ran came down with an overhead kick. Darrell bounced off the ground and charged up a Hadouken and fired.  
  
"Hah!" Ran laughed as she reached into her shirt. and smacked the Hadouken back at him with some type of white fan. Darrell just managed to jump out of the way of his own attack.  
  
"A. harisen!?" he asked while sweating. He turned around to meet Ran's fist. He reeled back from the blow but recovered to block a roundhouse kick from his opponent. Darrell countered with a right hook. and surprisingly he hit her face cleanly. Ran immediately stumbled back and nursed her cheek.  
  
"Why you.!" she growled at the teen.  
  
Darrell wasn't showing much emotion. "I didn't even hit you that hard."  
  
"That's not the point! I can take a punch, so I don't expect you to hold back. But I guarantee that you'll regret hitting me like that."  
  
"Come on, then! We're wasting our round time and I have to get to the other fighter on your team before I get too tired."  
  
"Trust me. you won't get past me."  
  
"So let me introduce you to an old friend of mine. Shakunetsuken!!"  
  
Once again, Darrell's fists shot into flames, but before he could recover, Ran held her camera up.  
  
"That's perfect! Hold that pose."  
  
Darrell saw her bend down. and sensed something he didn't like. "Hey, wait a minute.!"  
  
Too late. Ran flashed rapid pictures, hitting Darrell invisibly. The last flash knocked him down, extinguishing his flames.  
  
"Well, it looks as if Ran has the upper hand with her camera attacks," declared the announcer. "Darrell can't even use his most powerful moves on her. He'll have to think of something before he's toast."  
  
Darrell got to his feet slowly.  
  
{Come on, Darrell, think! You have to come up of a way to get past her camera flashes. Wait. I have an idea.}  
  
Darrell faded back while charging up another Hadouken. This time, his aura showed up. but it wasn't as strong as it was when he fought Dan. Ran smiled.  
  
"You just don't get it, do you? I can knock you out of your Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken."  
  
With that she ducked to the side to take another snapshot. but as soon as she pressed the button, no flash came out.  
  
"Huh?" she gasped as she looked at her camera and pressed the button again. No flash.  
  
"Uh. oh." she muttered under her breath. She slowly looked up and saw the mischievous smile on Darrell's face.  
  
"That's right. you ran out of film. didn't you? And even though I might be weak from your attacks, my Hadouken is still strong enough to take you out. Now then. Shakunetsu. Shinku. Hadouken!"  
  
Darrell launched his orange blast at Ran. She got to her feet and put up her guard fast enough so that she wouldn't be hit directly. The burning vigor coming from the blast was way too much for her to handle. and when the Hadouken exploded, Ran was sent flying. just like her brother.  
  
"Once again, Darrell pulls out his trademark Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken and makes contact with Ran. She's down. but. Wait a minute."  
  
Darrell dropped to his knees, panting. He was using a lot of energy in a row. That's something he didn't even do against Shin Akuma. As he caught his breath, Ran slowly sat up, catching Darrell's attention.  
  
{Great. She is still conscious after that blast. That makes two who withstood that blast. but this one wasn't at full power. I'm practically drained. and I bet her camera doesn't use up her vigor. I got to keep trying, though. I'm not going to give up.}  
  
Click.  
  
Darrell heard the snapping of. a new set of film entering Ran's dreaded camera. He cringed.   
  
{This isn't good.}  
  
Ran saw the surprised look on her opponent's face. "Oh, don't tell me you didn't think I would carry a spare set of film, now, do you? Any good photographer knows better than that."  
  
Darrell didn't say anything in response as both fighters stood up. They stared into one another's' pupils. and strangely, they both smiled.  
  
"You know. besides Sakura and Hinata. and my mom. you are the only woman I know that can beat me senseless."  
  
"Humph! You know sympathy won't get you anywhere in this fight," Ran scolded. "I have to admit that I'm actually enjoying this fight."  
  
"Me too," Darrell replied while putting his hands on his hips. "I'm almost out of energy, so I guess you don't have to worry about another Shakunetsu of any kind from me."  
  
"I guess. but I still have my camera. You know. I like that look of fatigue on your face. I got to get a photo."  
  
"Oh, no you don't!"  
  
Darrell started to run towards Ran before she could take another picture of him. Ran steadied her camera. locked on. and snapped again. but as soon as she did, Darrell rolled out of the way.  
  
"What the.!?"  
  
"Over. HERE!!"  
  
Ran turned to her left to see Darrell jump in at her, his burning fist ready to deliver a strong punch to her face.  
  
"Yaaaah!!"  
  
"I thought I told you that you'll regret punching me in the face!" she yelled out as she spun around and planned to knock Darrell out of his attack with a high roundhouse kick. The two got into range. and.  
  
POW!!  
  
Both fighters connected with their attacks. As if the Matrix went into effect, time seemed to slow down as Ran and Darrell stared at each other; Darrell through Ran's sneaker and Ran through Darrell's fist. Darrell was still in the air as the moment lasted for another 3 seconds...  
  
"I though. you said that I didn't. have to worry. about another Shakunetsuken attack.," Ran complained.  
  
"Well. I guess I had to. lie a bit," Darrell admitted with a weak smile on his face.  
  
"You. got. me." Ran murmured weakly.  
  
"So. did you...," Darrell replied. "It's. a tie."  
  
The 'Matrix' effect ended. and Darrell let out a low groan as he dropped to the ground in a heap. At the same time, Ran fell back on the canvas, her camera bouncing out of her grasp and landing above her head. Both lay motionless on the mat. then the announcer finally woke up from his daze.  
  
"After what seemed like an eternity, both young fighters are down from each other's attacks. Will one get to their feet before the count? Only one way to find out! 1."  
  
The crowd was now encouraging both Ran and Darrell to get up. They loved the show they were putting on. Ran was clearly on the advantage, but one strong desperation move from the newcomer from America evened the score, and now the fight turned into a test of wills. Whoever had the strongest desire to win would get up. let it be either Darrell, Ran, or both.  
  
"Let's go, Ran!" Dan yelled out to his younger sister. "Show him how strong the Hibiki bloodline is."  
  
"Darrell. Get up!" Sakura S. shouted. "You're doing great! Don't let it up now!"  
  
The announcer read 7. and both started to stir. Darrell once again struggled to push his body up off the canvas floor and at the same time, Ran forced her tattered body to sit up. Darrell got to one knee, letting his arms rest to his sides. He took deep breaths as he stopped to look into Ran's tired eyes once again as she sat up. Both stayed in their positions for a good 5 seconds. then. as if they were reading each others minds, uttered the inevitable.  
  
"You're. finished."  
  
Both teens fell back where they came, totally exhausted. Since none of them totally got up to their feet the announcer continued where he left off.  
  
"8. 9. 10! What do ya know it? After a great performance from both combatants, round 2 ends in a draw. You got to hand it to these two young fighters for giving it all they had where it counted most. Round 3 will start up soon."  
  
Hinata rolled into the arena to check about both her friends' conditions. First she knelt down to see about her teammate first.  
  
"Darrell." she called softly. "Hey! You alright?'  
  
Darrell gave her a weak look. "Hmm. Who knew that taking pictures would hurt.? I'll survive though."  
  
Hinata returned the smile. "I guess I was wrong when I though Ran wasn't much of a fighter. She beat you."  
  
"And I beat her too. Don't start thinking that I'm getting weak, now. I also had to fight her brother. That Koryu-rekka really hurt."  
  
Hinata helped Darrell to his feet and rested his body on the ropes surrounding the ring. She then walked over to check on Ran, who was still on her back, breathing hard.  
  
"Hey, Ran! How's it going?"  
  
Ran looked up to her friend. and gasped a bit. "Hinata? You. you're here. on their team? Man! I wish I could have got on yours. It would have saved me the trouble of fighting Darrell."  
  
"I don't see why you're complaining," Hinata answered back while getting Ran up. "You knocked him senseless with your camera."  
  
Ran shot a smile. "Yeah. Would you excuse me for a second?"  
  
Ran pushed off Hinata and made her way to the resting Darrell who lay on the ropes. When she approached him, he was rubbing the cheek that she kicked him at.  
  
"I guess that really hurt, huh?" Ran asked.  
  
Darrell looked up at Ran and smiled. "Eh. I've been used to being punched in the face. but to be kicked full force is something completely new to me. By the way, I like your sneakers."  
  
Ran stared at him for a second. then smiled again. "Thanks." She started to nurse the swollen check the Darrell tried to murder during the fight, mimicking her opponent. "Your gloves are pretty nice, too. although I was on the business end of them."  
  
"Hey! You want to check out the rest of the tournament together? Even if one of our teams loses this fight, we can chill out. It isn't against the rules. as far as I know."  
  
"Sure. I have nothing else to do. I bet I can get great shots from the sidelines."  
  
Both Ran and Darrell exited the ring, becoming friends more by the second, leaving Hinata. Hinata turned to the announcer and mentioned that she'll be the next fighter on their team. While she was doing that, a young man stepped in. He was wearing nothing but blue trunks and tape on his hands and ankles. His brown hair stood on end and leaned over a bit and on his forehead was a white headband that resembled Sakura's, only it resembled the Japan flag.  
  
Hinata turned to her next opponent and recognized his attire pretty quickly.  
  
He has got to know Muay Thai, she thought.  
  
He stepped into position, his hands on his hips.  
  
"Okay, everyone, Joe Higashi is here!!" he announced himself out loud, causing applause from the crowd. He absorbed the applause. "That's right. Now just sit back and enjoy the show!"  
  
"Alright everyone," the announcer started. "Round 3 is right at your doorstep, promising even more exciting action now that we have two fresh new fighters in the ring. From team C-7 is Joe Higashi and from C-8 is Hinata Wakaba! Ready? Fight!"  
  
End of Chapter 19 


	20. Three Matches

20. Three Matches  
  
"Hmm. I can sense that you're pretty good," Joe observed while stroking his chin. "You think you can keep up with me?"  
  
Hinata smiled. "Of course! I'm not in this tournament for nothing."  
  
"Now aren't you confident? Let's see what you got."  
  
"Fine!"  
  
Hinata started the fight with a sweep kick that Joe parried. Joe immediately punched Hinata in the side of the head, making her reel backwards.  
  
"Slash Kick!"  
  
Hinata saw Joe fly at her with his leg extended outwards and blocked. Joe landed and met Hinata's two jabs to the face, then a strong punch to the head then she rose into the air, nailing Joe with her knee.  
  
"Enbukyaku!" she yelled out as she burned Joe with three burning kicks, knocking him down.  
  
"All right!" the announcer shouted out. "Hinata comes out with a combination attack to counter Joe's Slash Kick to start the fight. Let's see if she can keep it up."  
  
Joe barely dodged a kick from Hinata and thrusted his elbow into her chin. Once again, Hinata was sent backward, but recovered quickly when she heard Joe shout of his next attack.  
  
"Hurricane Upper!!"  
  
Joe threw two quick uppercuts, causing the wind to pick up into 2 two typhoons to rocket towards Hinata. She jumped over the attack to perform a mid-air attack, but Joe was ready for her.  
  
"Tiger Kick!"  
  
Joe launched himself into the air, his raised knee covered with energy. Hinata saw it coming on short notice and blocked while in mid-air. Hinata landed before Joe did and took advantage by nailing her Shouyouken while he was coming down.  
  
"Joe goes down hard after a recovery move from his opponent," the announcer stated. "But he's already on his two feet and ready for more."  
  
Joe approached Hinata, ready to attack. He let out a punch, but Hinata dodged it and grabbed his arm while moving to his back.  
  
"Take. this!" Hinata screamed as she threw Joe over her shoulder to the ground. Once he landed, he stayed down for a few seconds before standing up again. Just as he was about to try another attack, the announcer stopped the action.  
  
"Excuse me for a minute," he started, causing a stir among the people in the stadium. "We've just got an announcement from the board. Three matches will now be taking place within this arena starting now. For those keeping count, that means that four whopping matches are going to be happening simultaneously!"  
  
The announcer held for the crowd's applause before continuing. "Now, may teams C-22: Eiji, Kayin, and Ellis and C-21: Ryu, Makoto, and Kairi come to the first arena. In the second arena will be teams C-28: Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Hiei and C-15: Batsu, Kyosuke, and Roy. How do you like those matches?"  
  
Once again, the crowd went wild. This was the best action ever witnessed in a fighting tournament. and it was about to get even better.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Ryu. They called us."  
  
Ryu looked at Kairi with burning pupils. He knew he was ready, for this was what he was waiting for the last three weeks. He managed to team up with his new rivals from Japan, and after their intense training, nothing was going to stand in their way of fighting at their best.  
  
"What are we waiting for?" Makoto asked eagerly. "Let's do this!"  
  
Both men stared at the karate girl as she slid into the ring and met her opponent. As Makoto got into stance, she was met by another girl her height wearing a totally white ballerina dress with a pink flower design on her chest. In both hands were small daggers and, as Makoto eyed her opponent, her short hair was an unusual color; green. The teenage girl she was going to face was named Ellis, and as the announcer for their match stared, she put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Well then. for this match we got Ellis from team C-22 versus Makoto from C- 21. Fighters ready?"  
  
Ellis stepped up to a few feet away from Makoto and bowed. Makoto returned the favor by doing the same.  
  
"Fight!"  
  
"Hey. before we start." Makoto said while getting into stance. "I'd like to say you have a real. unique costume to be wearing to a fight. Although you have twin daggers. they sure don't fit your personality."  
  
Ellis stared at Makoto for a second before replying with, "Humph! I really didn't come here to be ridiculed by a guy like you. You perv."  
  
"What did you say!?" Makoto demanded immediately. "I'm a girl!"  
  
"Oh! Sorry about that. I guess. I couldn't tell by your appearance. You shouldn't talk about others you know. It's not nice."  
  
"I'm telling you now. I didn't come here to be nice. It's a fighting tournament, so let's get with the fighting."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Well. this is it," Yusuke said while breathing hard. He stood up and started rotating his arm.  
  
"What are you doing, Urameshi? Hyperventilating?" Kuwabara asked.  
  
"Shut up, Kuwabara," Yusuke shot back. "Can't you see that I'm getting ready?"  
  
"Yeah, whatever. Listen, I'll go first. Wish me luck."  
  
Kuwabara just stared at Yusuke as Yusuke stood up and jumped into the ring, ignoring Kuwabara's yells of disapproval. At the same time, another fighter stepped in the other side. He wore all blue with white and red sneakers and his black hair was totally wild. As he and Yusuke got to center ring, Kuwabara couldn't help but noticed something. similar.  
  
"Okay, you two," the announcer started. "I'm sure you know about the rules because we've ran through them numerous times already, so let's not waste anymore time. This is Round 1, people! Batsu Ichimonji vs. Yusuke Urameshi. Ready? You may begin!"  
  
Batsu didn't waste words as he immediately got into his brawler stance. Strangely, Yusuke didn't get into a stance. He stared at Batsu with interest. Something. about him was so. familiar.  
  
"What's the matter?" Batsu asked.  
  
Yusuke just put his hand in his pockets. "Nothing. I'm just thinking about how fast this fight is going to be."  
  
"What? You're going to let me beat you senseless?" Batsu asked again with a smirk. "That wouldn't be very fun. especially considering all the energy I'm sensing from you?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Come on! Look at you and me."  
  
Yusuke took a glance at himself and saw his blue aura erupting off his body.  
  
{Well that's not new.}  
  
Yusuke looked up to Batsu. and saw his aura was exactly like his.  
  
{Now THAT'S new.}  
  
Batsu had a grin. "I can see that you're going to be a nice opponent."  
  
"Well, let's not waste anymore time, but before we start, I got to warn you that I'm the toughest guy in Sarayashiki Junior High." He paused while pointing a thumb to himself, ".so don't expect to be coming out of this one without being on a stretcher."  
  
"Heh. toughest guy in Sarayashiki, huh." Batsu put his hands on his hips while smiling. "Well I'm the toughest guy in Taiyo High. I guess that makes it even, then."  
  
Yusuke smiled. and rushed up to Batsu full force. Batsu didn't move, but he went fist to fist with his opponent. Both fighters moved at breakneck speeds just punching it out. Neither went on the defensive, but no one connected their punches. Eventually, Batsu had to go on the guard since Yusuke was punching way faster than he was. He blocked about a million punches from his opponent and thought, {Why doesn't he at least try to hit me low or something like that?}  
  
Batsu shoved his elbow into Yusuke's face, breaking his momentum and followed with a flaming uppercut, knocking him skywards.  
  
"You're too predictable!" Batsu yelled out as he charged up a bit and threw a blue sphere of energy towards Yusuke's falling position. Yusuke recovered in the air fast enough to block the Guts Bullet and landed on his feet.  
  
"Too predictable, huh?" Yusuke asked. He held out a fist and it started to glow with blue energy. "Say hello to my Spirit Energy, Batsu. You'll be seeing a lot of this. especially in this way."  
  
Yusuke pointed at Batsu with his index finger, the blue ball resting on his fingertip. He concentrated for a bit, getting his aim right.  
  
"SPIRIT GUN!!!"  
  
Yusuke fired his energy right at Batsu in a large blue ball of energy. It was pretty fast, but Batsu managed to duck the blast as it went towards the stands. then exploded as if it hit something. Yusuke smiled as he put his hand down.  
  
"Sure glad that the rings are protected by a shield. Must have cost them a lot to buy those." Yusuke looked at his hand for a bit. "Normally I could only fire one of those a day. then I could fire 4. But now, after my. experience a few weeks ago, I can fire all I want. I suggest you get used to dodging."  
  
"Nice trick," Batsu said while getting up. "I got a little trick myself."  
  
Batsu raised his hands into the air, and shortly a small blue ball of electrical energy formed. It increased in size a bit as Batsu called out its name.  
  
"Maximum. Guts Bullet!"  
  
Batsu pulled in the energy and threw it forward. It wasn't as fast as the Spirit Gun, but it was equal in force. Yusuke dodged to the side, letting the move explode against the border.  
  
"Heh. Nice one, huh?" Batsu asked. "And that wasn't even at full power. I don't want to pull out the stops just yet."  
  
Yusuke smiled. "Like I know that. I was holding back too. Now, let's cut the small talk and get this over with."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Ellis is way too fast for me." Makoto finally realized while breathing hard through her mouth. She was facing Ellis in the first round. and although she was a dancer, that didn't stop Ellis from slashing her opponent with her twin daggers. She only hit Ellis a few times, but Makoto's body was a bloody wreck with cuts all over her body and her karate gi was ripped in certain places.  
  
"What's wrong, Makoto?" Ellis asked with a wide grin in her face. "You were pretty cocky when we started fighting. What happened to that spirit now?"  
  
"Oh, give me a break!" Makoto screamed. "Not everyone could move as fast as you do! And the fact that you have two weapons just makes it harder!"  
  
"Stop complaining, already! You're just mad because you can't hit me with that slow fighting stance of yours."  
  
"Oh, that's it!"  
  
Before Ellis knew it, Makoto was in her face. Makoto took out her anger by punching Ellis hard in the stomach, almost making her drop her dirks. Makoto followed up with three quick punches to the head then blasted Ellis in the face so hard, Ellis went sky rocketing into the air.  
  
"Seichuusen Godan-zuki!!" she cried out, her fist still in the air. Makoto held the pose for two more seconds. then Ellis's body crashed into the canvas. Makoto looked down at her fallen opponent.  
  
"Now see where bragging gets you?"  
  
The announcer already started his ten-count as Ellis struggled to her feet. She managed to get to one knee, using the back of her right hand to rub her eyes a bit, then stood up as the count of 7. Makoto could clearly see how disorientated Ellis was and was about to capitalize off it.  
  
"Heh. not so high and mighty now, huh, Ellis?" Makoto taunted while getting back into stance.  
  
"Just keep talking, Makoto." Ellis warned. She braced herself. her body surrounded by a flashing blue and yellow aura.  
  
"Here I come!!" she yelled out as she somersaulted into the air, flying straight to Makoto. Makoto senses something big, so she rolled to the side to avoid Ellis. Too bad it didn't work as Ellis tagged her just as she was coming out of the roll, scratching her shoulder. Ellis hit her a few more times while in mid-air before landing on Makoto's bare feet. She yelled out several times as she followed up with straight dagger strikes, causing more wounds onto the young warrior's body. After 4 consecutive strikes, Ellis reared back.  
  
"French Kiss!!"  
  
Ellis then struck Makoto in the head with both daggers, which were sparkling with stars. but just before she fell back, Makoto held out her hand. and a shadow image on Makoto shot out of her body and nailed Ellis right where Ellis hit her. Both girls were stunned from each others' moves; Makoto was literally seeing stars while Ellis held a hand to her forehead, trying to straighten out her vision that was whirling.  
  
"Lousy. trick," Ellis muttered to herself.  
  
"Ugh. what a stupid move." Makoto commented as both recovered from their dizziness. They both stared at each other.  
  
"French Kiss. hah! Nice name, Ellis," Makoto said while smiling a bit.  
  
"Whatever. It still kicked you butt," Ellis countered.  
  
"I'm getting tired of this. time to finish it."  
  
Both Makoto and Ellis ran towards each other. As soon as Makoto was about to make a move, Ellis ducked down with one of her daggers on the ground, covered with yellow energy, and aiming at Makoto's feet. Makoto saw it coming a little too late, but she raised her hand up into the air and brought it down as fast as she could. Just before Makoto started to graze Ellis's green hair, Ellis shot up, directing her attack at Makoto's head. Both girls gasped as they saw each other's attacks and tried to pull out, but it was too late. They hit each other at the same time, just like they did before. Makoto cried out as she was sent into the air for a short while as Ellis's head was sent into the canvas. When Ellis landed fully on her face, Makoto's body fell to the ground, bounced into a flip, and landed right in front of Ellis, in the same position as her opponent.  
  
The announcer, not wasting any words, started the count, but this time, neither fighter moved. He got to the count of 5, and that's when both pushed their bodies off the floor. At 9, they got up fully, but they didn't have anything left to fight on. Both of their legs were wobbly and their arms hung as their sides.  
  
".you're really something, Ellis," Makoto commented. "Tell me. what goes through your mind when you fight?"  
  
Ellis was pretty surprised that such an answer came from a girl who was a few minutes ago arguing at her. "I. really don't know," Ellis answered. "I. never really thought about it. I. just fought. That is all."  
  
"I know. there's more, Ellis. I'll. just have to find out later."  
  
And with that, Makoto dropped to her knees. and fell back down. Ellis just looked at her opponent, whom finally succumbed to her injuries and fainted. As the announcer restarted the ten-count, Ellis couldn't help but look at Makoto.  
  
{I wonder why. she asked me that.}  
  
"8. 9. 10! Round 1 ends with Ellis being the winner!" The announcer turned to the other two fighters on the opposing team. "May the next fighter step into the ring?"  
  
In no time flat, a man wearing only white karate pants and scars all over his body jumped into the ring. He landed, arms folded, staring into Ellis's eyes coldly.  
  
{I can sense he's strong. and I'm still tired from the first fight. This won't end well.}  
  
"Okay. Round 2: Ellis vs. Kairi. Ready? Fight!"  
  
----- -----  
  
Joe hit the ground. That's what he's been doing for the past two minutes since he couldn't keep up with Hinata's speed. Once again, the ten-count went into effect and Joe struggled to continue the match.  
  
{There. is no way I'm losing this one. I'm an ex-champ for crying out loud! I can't let our team start up this tournament with a loss.}  
  
"I strongly suggest you stay down, Joe," Hinata tipped off while smiling. "Even if you keep fighting, the outcome is always the same!"  
  
Joe growled while getting up at the count of 8 and slowly got into stance.  
  
{There. is only one way I can win this match.}  
  
"Come on at me!" he yelled out.  
  
{He's planning something.} Hinata thought to herself and approached him slowly. Joe swung at Hinata's head, but Hinata ducked and punched Joe in the stomach, making him kneel down.  
  
"Tyah!"  
  
Joe's head met Hinata's heel. He was sent farther to the ground. but he managed to stay on his feet.  
  
"Double.!"  
  
Hinata gasped as she quickly sensed a large boost of energy coming from Joe's fists.  
  
{Oh, no.}  
  
"Cyclone!!"  
  
Joe stood and threw his fists up, creating two huge versions of his Hurricane Upper. Joe couldn't see if his cyclones connected on not. If Hinata blocked them, it would be all over for him and his team will have to go into the next fight 0-1. And even if he did connect, he still had to worry about the Sakura twins, Sakura Kasugano and Sakura Satsu. It seemed like a done deal for him either way.  
  
{NO! I can't let myself think like I'll lose this fight. I got to think like a champ to be a champ.}  
  
His Double Cyclone Upper move finally died down and Joe put his arms down to his sides. He was panting, tired from his desperation move. He looked up and didn't see a trace of Hinata's body.  
  
{Where. did she go? Did. my move knock her out the ring?}  
  
Joe frantically turned his head from left to right, searching for his opponent. Then he heard something. and he didn't like it.  
  
It was. Hinata's giggle.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you." she teased, ".but I guess the ditch maneuver is something you weren't expecting."  
  
"WHAT!?"  
  
"Hisshou!"  
  
Joe whirled around to see the girl run up to him and deliver a massive amount of punches all on his body followed with her flaming Shouyouken.  
  
"Moutei! I win!" she yelled out.  
  
Joe remained mute as he hit the canvas once again. His body was drained completely. The announcer could count to 100 if he wanted to. He wasn't getting back up. Joe could barely hear the cheers of the crowd for Hinata or the announcer's ten-count. He could only hear his inner voice. that said.  
  
{Joe.? How did she avoid that move? It makes no sense! I surrounded myself with my cyclones. Her ditch was supposed to land her in the back twister. How.?}  
  
Hinata made eye contact with her opponent. and Joe passed out.  
  
"8. 9. 10! There you have it. The winner of this bout goes to team C-8: Sakura K., Sakura S., Darrell, and Hinata!"  
  
The crowd went wild. The rookie team won their first match of the tournament and by the looks of it, it seemed as if they were going to win a lot more often.  
  
"Hey, Hinata!" Sakura S. shouted out. "I do think that the other matches have to get started in that ring. You might want to move!"  
  
Hinata heeded the warning and slid out of the ring. As she got close, she decided to speak up.  
  
"I don't know about you guys.," Hinata spoke up, "but I'm not staying around here to get blasted. I'll race you to the hotel room!"  
  
"For once, you've got yourself a challenge." Sakura K. mentioned. "See ya there!"  
  
The two ran off towards their room, shortly followed by Sakura S. and Ran, but Darrell stayed back, eyeing Sakura K. in particular.  
  
{Hmm. Weird...}  
  
He stared just a bit longer before shaking his head.  
  
{What am I thinking?!}  
  
Darrell sighed heavily and walked calmly after his friends.  
  
----- -----  
  
{I feel sick. I really do. I. really don't know why. but I feel as if I'd start crying any minute now. I just came off a good first round win with my friends. I should be celebrating, hearing the play-by-play on the matches over the T.V. in our hotel room. Sakura K and S, Hinata, and Ran are right next to me, so I dare not start my waterworks. but this feeling inside.}  
  
{I look up to Sakura K, who is watching her idol, Ryu, take on the swordsman Eiji in the final round of their match. It is pretty close. and Sakura is staring at it with so much intensity. I notice a spark in her eyes. scanning Ryu's every move. and my sickness grows. Why? Am I.? Could it be. that I'm jealous of Ryu? It doesn't make sense. He helped me beat a powerful demon a month ago. I don't have a grudge against him. I hardly know him. But there is something about his. attractiveness to Sakura.}  
  
{I look away so no one could see me, but I turn my gaze back to Sakura's body. She's. so beautiful. She. is. like a gem that I'd like to keep to myself. Wait a minute. Why am I thinking about Sakura K. even more than I normally do? Why am I noticing these things about her all of a sudden? I stare at her. and gasp inside my head. I think I know why.}  
  
{I'm in love with Sakura.}  
  
{No. It's just my hormones. I. can't really. be in love. with her. can I?}  
  
"Hey, Darrell!"  
  
Darrell gasped as he spun in the direction to the voice, namely Ran.  
  
"You okay over there?"  
  
"Uh. yeah, I'm fine." he replied.  
  
{Bullshit.} he scolded himself automatically. {You're secretly in love with your friend. but have the feeling that she's interested in someone else. namely Ryu. It's total bullshit. and by the look on Ran's face, it looks as if she isn't buying it.}  
  
"It doesn't seem like it," Ran answered to Darrell's previous response. "You look like you're about to cry or something."  
  
Darrell gave a puzzled look. "I. I." he stuttered. He couldn't shake his feeling of... well. internal rejection.  
  
He looked up. and saw all the others stare at him. He suddenly felt dizzy, almost falling out the sofa.  
  
"Hey!" Hinata voice rang out. "What's with him?"  
  
"Darrell!" Sakura K. shouted out. She reached over to grab Darrell by his shoulders and started to shake his body furiously. She stopped when she heard him murmur something in a light voice.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
Darrell looked up and his sickening felling returned, stronger than ever.  
  
{Oh, great. I almost lost it in front of her. What's wrong with me? Why can't I get my feelings straight all of a sudden? I.}  
  
He sighed heavily. "I. think I need. to. you know. rest a little."  
  
Darrell got up, and without waiting for a response, went to his bedroom.  
  
End of Chapter 20 


	21. The Confession

21. The Confession  
  
"Hey. Hey you."  
  
Darrell found himself in a pink bedroom with nothing in it but a bed. and a woman he never met before. She had on a pair of black jeans with a white shirt. She was around his height and had long pale green hair. The woman was lying on the bed in a sexy pose, calling him. He just stood there, staring at her with a blank expression on his face.  
  
{Who.is she?}  
  
The woman motioned a finger to tell him to come closer.  
  
"Come here. I won't hurt you."  
  
"Uh. who. are you?"  
  
"Does that matter? It doesn't to me. I just want you."  
  
Darrell's body stiffened at the woman's comment. He tried to back away slowly but his body wouldn't move.  
  
"Come on. You know you want to."  
  
"I. I can't. It's."  
  
"My! Aren't you something? Trying to resist someone like me."  
  
Darrell struggled to move his body, but it was frozen in its place. He stared at her. and was shocked to see bats come from under the bed and surround him.  
  
"It won't get you anywhere." she said as she got off the bed and. somehow floated over to him. She stopped in front of him and put a hand on his cheek. The bats wrapped around Darrell and connected to the woman's body, creating her own pair of bat wings.  
  
"You're frightened, aren't you?" she asked in a soothing tone. She was right. The horror could be seen clearly on his face. He was on the verge of screaming out loud before she put her hand on his mouth, silencing him.  
  
"Now, now. no need to be afraid of me. I won't. do anything to you. that might harm you."  
  
"I. This isn't right!" he finally yelled out. He tried to push her away, but he didn't have any room to move his arms. She grinned.  
  
"I got you, Darrell," she said in a low tone. "You belong to me now. just like the others I've encountered."  
  
"N. NOOOOOOO! Get AWAY from me!"  
  
His aura surrounded him now and started to heat up, causing the woman to withdraw from grabbing him. She hissed a bit as her wings turned into several bats.  
  
"I'll get you later. By the way. that Sakura girl. she isn't in love with you. She's too blind to see what you did for her and can do for her. See you. in the ring, Darrell."  
  
Just like that, she vanished. and Darrell just stood there, contemplating on what the woman said. He didn't get a thing that just happened. and suddenly, he fainted.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Darrell! Get up!"  
  
Darrell felt someone shaking him. He groaned in a low tone as he opened his eyes to see Sakura K. sitting on top of him. She stopped suddenly and eased her grip a bit.  
  
"S. Sakura?" he said weakly. "What are.?"  
  
"You were screaming in your sleep," she explained.  
  
Darrell stared into her eyes, thinking about the dream that was freshly planted in his mind.  
  
{Does she.?}  
  
"What wrong with you all of a sudden?" Sakura asked. "You. are acting pretty strange."  
  
Darrell put a hand over his head and sighed. "Sakura. if I told you. promise you won't laugh."  
  
Sakura just nodded.  
  
"I. I think I. I'm in love."  
  
Sakura cut him off. "REALLY!?!? Wow! I didn't think that you thought that way about Ran. You just met her and."  
  
Now Darrell cut Sakura off. "No, Sakura. It isn't Ran."  
  
"Then who is it?"  
  
Darrell started to blush a bit as he spoke. "It's. you."  
  
Sakura immediately stared hard at her friend. "W. who?" she asked in a shaky voice.  
  
"I knew I should have kept my mouth shut." he remarked while looking at the wall to his right. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I. guess your attention is on someone else."  
  
"Just who do you think that is.?" Sakura asked.  
  
Darrell looked at her with glazed eyes. "Come on! I saw the way you were looking at Ryu earlier. He. he."  
  
He stopped and just like a little schoolgirl, he covered his mouth with a hand while blushing, his eyes wide. "I. don't believe it. I'm jealous of him. like a little kid."  
  
"Whoa, Darrell!" Sakura yelled out. "Get a hold of yourself. You're turning into the sort of person that Kei would like."  
  
"Uh."  
  
"Listen. Ryu and I are. acquaintances. I can't really announce him as. that type of friend. since he's a man bent on finding the strongest of opponents. He's nice and all, but. well there was a time that the only thing that I used to do was think about Ryu. He sort of introduced me into the world of the Street Fight, even though he never gave me a lesson. He might be someone very special to me. but now I know that it would be too messy to get emotional with him. First of all, he's like 8 years older than me or something like that. Possibly he's even older than that. Do you really think I'd let people think that Ryu is a. well. you know."  
  
Darrell nodded.  
  
"Also, as much as I'd like to be with him every day. I rather not take him away from what makes him. Ryu. Otherwords, I don't want to keep him from Street Fighting. I really don't think he'd fit in. a normal job. But as far as you. saying that you love me."  
  
Darrell tightened up, expecting the worst.  
  
{Oh, no. here it comes.}  
  
He was surprised to feel Sakura's hand on his chest.  
  
"I. sort of have a confession to make. I've been keeping this from everyone, especially Kei and Hinata. and even my sister. I. sort of. well."  
  
She blushed, just like Darrell. "You know. this version of you. is sort of your feminine side. and you know that I'm not necessarily the type to get extremely emotional, but. when I grabbed you earlier when you almost fell off the couch, I. felt sort of weird. It was like some of your dizziness rubbed off on me. I thought about it for a while, thinking about what that was. Just then, a flash of that weird dream we had came into my mind. I. really thought that I was in love with you, Darrell."  
  
"So. you are saying. that you aren't in love with me then?"  
  
Sakura stared at him for a second before saying, "Actually. it's the exact opposite. I. think that I am."  
  
".in love." both said simultaneously. then gasped.  
  
"Hey. we almost." they said again. then totally paused. It was like they knew what the other would say. Darrell sighed.  
  
"I.. think we have some things to talk about. but I would appreciate it if you got off me."  
  
----- -----  
  
"You know. you sound a lot more mature than before, Sakura. I. used to be like that before. Well I guess the point is that being around you makes me feel. childish sometimes. I never get all lovey-dovey over anything before."  
  
"Neither have I. I'm sort of a tomboy. You know that I'm not concerned about what other girls think is cool. That's why I'm only friends with Hinata, Natsu, Karin, and Kei."  
  
"Why isn't my name on the list?"  
  
Sakura K. turned and gave Darrell a friendly look.  
  
"I don't think I can call you just a friend anymore. You and I. we're. well."  
  
Darrell blushed. He knew what she was going to say, even though she didn't say it. He shook his head.  
  
"Man, am I pathetic or what? It wasn't long before I met you that girls used to play with my emotions."  
  
"I can't see why. You're a pretty nice guy to me."  
  
"That was the problem. I was a bit too nice. Back home, you had to be some type of idiot or jock to get noticed. You can tell from the door that I'm not that type of person, so I was basically left by myself socially."  
  
"Yeah. It's weird. I wasn't exactly popular at school myself, even though everyone knows that I street fight. To be honest. people were more worried about me than proud of me."  
  
"Same here."  
  
Both stared at each other for while after that part of the conversation. Neither knew that they had so much in common. and could understand where the other was coming from. Sakura continued the conversation.  
  
"Like you said, I guess people have to see it from a fighter's point of view. While others find it dangerous and stupid, I find it fun and exciting. That's why I fight."  
  
"Well. I use it as an anger reliever. Other people gave me SO many methods to relax myself in another ways. but I'm happier this way."  
  
"You mean that there aren't times that you fight just to hurt someone? What about Akuma and Sho?"  
  
Darrell shook his head. "I realized that it's not good to go into a fight bent on hurting someone. It messes with your focus and you lose more than you win. You know it. I know it now. I'm definitely thinking Ryu knows that. I guess I just got lucky."  
  
"You're right about some things. but doesn't it seem weird that every time you and I get angry during a fight, we get stronger?"  
  
Darrell nodded. "Yeah. I can't understand it myself."  
  
"And we never exactly lost a match like that. Speaking of which, how did you do that healing move on me? You never did anything like that before."  
  
Darrell had a blank expression on his face, but then something hit him. "It. just came in the moment. I thought about how I did that also. and I can't get my golden aura to reappear anymore. but I managed to perfect the healing technique. I'm the only person who can do it now."  
  
"But I did it also." Sakura reminded him.  
  
"I know. but I noticed that you could only do it because you had some of my power. Let me explain."  
  
Sakura watched Darrell as he rolled out of his bed and stood beside it.  
  
"Come over here, Sakura." he ordered. Sakura followed his request and stood right in front of Darrell. He breathed deeply, then said, "Do your Midare Zakura on me."  
  
Sakura stared at him for a second, but knew what he was getting at. It makes no sense to heal someone that's at full health, so Darrell needed to get beat up somewhat. Without saying a word, Sakura charged in and just like the Tokyo Park so many months ago, laid out Darrell with her specialty move. When Darrell got up from the carpet, he said something else while holding his chest a bit. There was a small bruise where one of Sakura's kicks hit him at.  
  
"Now. that should do it. Okay, Sakura. I want you to try to heal me. You remember how to do that, right?"  
  
Sakura nodded and raised a hand toward Darrell's body. She focused as her blue aura appeared around her. A few seconds passed. and nothing happened.  
  
"Huh?" Sakura gasped. "What's the hold-up? Why isn't my aura covering you like it did Ryu's?"  
  
She looked to see Darrell's emotionless face.  
  
"You'll see in a minute," he replied. "Forgive me. but I'll need to do the Raging Knuckle on you to get this to work."  
  
"Really?" she asked curiously.  
  
"You don't have to if you don't want to," he said, "and if you accept, I'll only do 12 punches instead of the normal 18. No Shakunetsuken included."  
  
Sakura nodded in agreement and Darrell kept his word. After the 12th punch, Sakura reeled back, holding her stomach in pain.  
  
"Geez, Darrell. I didn't know you hit so hard."  
  
"I know you're lying," he responded flatly. "Okay, now try it."  
  
Sakura took her hand off her stomach and raised it up to Darrell again as her aura showed up. Three seconds passed. and part of her aura shot around Darrell's body. He lifted his hand off his own chest and he small bruise Sakura left him disappeared.  
  
"Okay, Sakura. let off the gas."  
  
On cue Sakura stopped with a smile on her face.  
  
"I think I get it now. Both of us have to be injured for the healing thing to work. Talk about ironic."  
  
Darrell nodded. "Yep. That's basically it."  
  
Sakura looked at Darrell with puzzled eyes. "If that is what needed to be done. then why didn't you just tell me?"  
  
"Sorry. I couldn't resist. I wanted to make it seem complicated."  
  
"You shouldn't go there." Sakura scolded. "Now." She lifted her hand up again. ". let's get back in shape. We have another match in two days and we need to be prepared."  
  
"Yeah. let's do it. but let's go at the same time. It will be faster."  
  
Sakura waited for Darrell to get into position then both teens focused their energy into their hands. The blue and orange auras appeared again. but for some odd reason, they shone bright. and instantly went into the other's body. Both gasped as the auras mixed. and changed color. to golden yellow. In a few seconds, both were at 100%, but the yellow didn't disappear.  
  
"Uh. Darrell," Sakura said shakily. "How come your special aura is back?"  
  
'I don't know. This. is weird."  
  
Both continued to stare at each other as the solid gold aura brightened even more. A strong feeling of dizziness overcame them. then before either knew it, they passed out.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Sakura? Are we. back at that room again?"  
  
"I guess. but why? Nothing is making sense."  
  
Sakura found herself in a familiar white room along with Darrell. Everything was like the first dream; Sakura wearing her school fuku and Darrell wearing his street clothes. The golden aura was still surrounding them, and the dizziness was still in their system.  
  
"I can see why you two are confused."  
  
"Who. said that?" Darrell asked hesitantly at the female voice that just rang out.  
  
"I did. To your right, Darrell."  
  
Darrell instantly turned to his right to see a woman wearing a totally pink outfit with high heels. She had a long white scarf on her shoulders and her purple hair was curled in a similar fashion to Ran's.  
  
"My name. is Rose," she introduced herself. "I'm here to assist you two in your problems and understandings. I'm sure you are familiar to this room, aren't you?"  
  
Neither teen responded.  
  
"This is where your spirits came to declare the love connection between the two of you..."  
  
"How could you possibly know that.?" Sakura asked.  
  
"Let's just say. I have my ways," Rose answered as a pink aura surrounded her body.  
  
"So you are here to help clarify that dream?" Darrell asked eagerly.  
  
"Yes. The dream you two had was basically a connection to your souls. That is how Darrell could summon the gold aura and pass it on to you, Sakura, through the healing technique he inherited. It is like a symbol of your love, so to speak. Sakura. Darrell deeply cares for you. He would do anything to maintain the survival of his family and friends. but with you, the connection is much deeper than friendship. Inside, you knew this and started to grow feelings for him, but you didn't know that it was that deep. so, with the help of your Satsu sister, your spirit connected with his and you confessed it to him first through the dream. With Darrell's history concerning female relationships. he needed a push from someone he really loved to get him to confess his love in real life. That is when your true feelings surfaced, Sakura. Do you understand that?"  
  
Sakura stared at Rose. She couldn't have been more correct than that. "I get it."  
  
"So I guess that settles the main issue." Darrell said. ".but what about this other dream I just had with that weird woman with the green hair and bats?"  
  
"That was what that was about?" Sakura asked Darrell.  
  
"Yes. You were pretty fortunate." Rose interpreted. "Her name was Morrigan Aensland, a succubus from the. Makai world."  
  
"A. demon world?" Darrell reiterated.  
  
"Correct. She sensed your strong spirit and decided to get it for herself, but when she saw the relationship with you and Sakura. she wanted to get you before that bond could grow."  
  
"Too bad that didn't work," Darrell sighed. "Nothing is coming between Sakura and me. I'll make sure of it."  
  
"Are you sure about that?"  
  
"Huh? Why ask that? It is because of my relationship with Sakura that we became so strong."  
  
"I know that. but in 10 days. the real test of your bond will arise."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Sakura asked while sitting down on the white carpet.  
  
"Good thing you sat down for this one. This might come as a shock. considering the effort you put in to defeat him. but Akuma is very much still alive."  
  
"WHAT?!?" both Sakura and Darrell yelled out loud.  
  
"Not only that. but he has gotten considerably stronger in the last month. He's seeking revenge. I'm sorry."  
  
"But that makes no sense!" Darrell yelled out while shaking his head. "I had to use all three levels of my Shakunetsu Burst power up to defeat him in that Shin Akuma form. Even Ryu put in all his vigor to defeat him with me. How could he be alive when nothing was left of him?"  
  
"He teleported as soon as the Hadouken hit."  
  
Darrell was overcome with shock and fell to his knees. "I KNEW that the match was sort of short. Now what? Even if both Sakuras, Hinata, and I fight him and try to heal. it takes some of Sakura and my energy for that to work."  
  
"Don't worry. You have allies within the tournament."  
  
"Like who?"  
  
"Allow me to show you."  
  
With that, Rose's aura grew and spread toward the wall behind her. The energy formed to the image of a familiar fighter that everyone saw.  
  
"That's. Ryu." Sakura mentioned.  
  
"Yes. He is definitely a strong fighter to have on your side," Rose said. "Take a look of these others right here."  
  
As soon as Rose finished her sentence, the image of Ryu morphed into several different fighters.  
  
"I never seen these fighters before," Sakura announced. "Who are they?"  
  
Rose left that unanswered. "You have 10 days to prepare for the arrival of the true Shin Akuma. and two other threats."  
  
"Like who?" Darrell demanded. "You mean that Akuma has some playmates?"  
  
"Not exactly. but they all will be at the tournament finals waiting. That's all I can do here. If you need me. for anything. just call me in your dreams. or come look for me in Paris. Whichever suits you. Good luck, you two."  
  
Rose vanished at the end of her sentence, leaving the two teenagers in awe at the predicament in front of them. In 10 days. the ultimate fighting test awaits them.  
  
"I really hope the training that we went through was enough," Sakura said.  
  
"I don't know about you, but I can't wait to get my chance to get rid of that nuisance once and for all. But. how in the world are we going to get out of here? There's no door this time."  
  
"Yeah. that's a problem." Sakura said.  
  
"Oh. sorry about that." Rose's voice rang out suddenly. "If you two want to exit this room and return to the real world. you'll need to. share a kiss with one another."  
  
Instantly both teens blushed.  
  
"Rose. That's not exactly a normal key to a door." Darrell muttered, but Rose was far out of hearing range.  
  
"Well, that was unexpected." Sakura commented as she eyed Darrell. "So how about it, Darrell? Ready to get home?"  
  
Darrell whirled around to face Sakura and stammered a tiny bit before catching his senses. "Yeah. let's go."  
  
Sakura got up and walked up to Darrell, blushing a bit more. Darrell inhaled deeply then smiled. Sakura jumped into Darrell's arms, paused a bit, and pressed her lips against his. Darrell gasped within his head at the speed that Sakura used to get the kiss in and relaxed a bit. Their golden aura shone again. then both went out like a couple of lights.  
  
----- -----  
  
Sakura K. muttered under her breath as she woke up from her slumber. She was laying on the wool floor, still in her nightgown. She shook the cobwebs out of her head and looked up to see Darrell just waking up.  
  
"10 days." she whispered to herself. The message Rose left her was still planted in her mind. "We have 10 days to get ready. I got to tell Ryu about this."  
  
"But at the same time. we have to get the message through to the other fighters so that they don't think we're psycho," Darrell added. "Also, we have to fight in this tournament. We can use the fights as our practice grounds. I don't think we'll be able to hold back anymore."  
  
"I know." Sakura got to her feet and looked towards the window to her left. The sun was up already, glaring down into the darkness in the bedroom. She sighed heavily before saying her next sentence.  
  
"About our romance thing. do you think. we should tell the others about it? I mean. they'll find out sooner or later."  
  
"Sakura. I think Hinata and Sakura S. already know by now."  
  
Sakura looked at him with puzzled eyes. "What.?"  
  
"There is something I forgot to mention about the new aura we have. I could sense them listening to us from the time I confessed to the time we shared auras. Besides."  
  
Sakura watched Darrell get up and walk toward the door. He paused a bit. then put a hand on the handle and opened the door. On the other side were the bodies of Hinata and Sakura S., sleeping right at the door.  
  
".they were eavesdropping ever since you woke me up," he finished, pouting a bit. "So even if the aura wasn't present, they would know. and I would know as soon as we had opened the door."  
  
"What do you think they think about it?" she asked.  
  
"Sakura. was that even a question?"  
  
Sakura smiled at Darrell with a big smile. Deep down, she knew that the two of them might just accept it. It was love they were dealing with.  
  
"Now then. you feel like getting something to eat?" Darrell asked. "I'm hungry."  
  
"Yeah. Ran told me that the lobby has some really good food down there."  
  
End of Chapter 21 


	22. Spreading the Message part 1

22. Spreading the Message part 1  
  
"So these are the standings so far." Sakura K. marveled at the tournament standings. The two were at a table at the hotel lobby, eating breakfast. It was still early in the morning and the second day of fighting won't start until 12 noon, so Sakura decided to check out where they stood.  
  
"What's it say?" Darrell asked. "I never got a chance to see who were on teams."  
  
That reminded Sakura of something. She scanned the team listings. looking for Karin's team. She found her in team number 10 and gasped a bit.  
  
"Darrell. you won't believe who is on Karin's team!"  
  
"Who is it?" he asked while leaning over to see.  
  
"It's Ken and Sean."  
  
"Wow. that's completely new. And their fight is today at 1:00 P.M. I got to check this one out. By the way. who are we fighting tomorrow?"  
  
Sakura looked at the paper some more. and after 2 seconds, found what she was looking for.  
  
"It says here. team C-6, Sie Kensou, Bao, and Athena Asamiya. Wow. Athena's my old teammate from the Mark of the Millennium tournament. I can't wait to see how she's doing."  
  
". how about you going to her hotel room to see for yourself?" Darrell suggested. "You could use some catching up before you pound the stuffing out of one another."  
  
"Gee, thanks for the advice," Sakura said sarcastically while rolling her eyes. She sipped the last of her orange juice out of her cup and stood up, giving the tournament paper to Darrell.  
  
"Listen, I'll check her out while you see the rest of the competition. See ya in a few hours."  
  
"Yeah, sure," Darrell mouthed out his response while taking another bite out of his food. As Sakura left the table, he chewed for a few seconds before picking up the paper and reading the teams silently to himself.  
  
"Let's see. Ryu on C-21. but those others. who where they. and what team? Wait."  
  
Darrell stared long and hard at team C-12.  
  
"Sho.? It couldn't be. No. unless his last name is really Shinjo. but if it is, then what is he doing here? And the other one. HYO?!? Wait. there's no last name posted. It really can't be Hyo Imawano, could it? There could be a lot more people out there named Hyo."  
  
Darrell decided to move along, but only moved down three more slots to stop at C-15.  
  
"Hmm. Batsu, Kyosuke, and Roy. They are here. and they actually lost their first match." Surprisingly, Darrell's tone was calm. He didn't jump in surprise like he would normally, especially considering the fighters they faced: team C-28: Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Kurama. He didn't know anything about them, though.  
  
He sighed as he continued scrolling down. He didn't find anyone he knew or was interested in. until he stopped at team C-24. and gasped loudly.  
  
"I. I. It's Morrigan.! That dream wasn't lying.!"  
  
"See you in the ring. Darrell."  
  
Her cool words haunted him. He mumbled inside his head that he wouldn't have to face her team anytime within the tournament. but after looking at the tournament schedule, he felt like dying. He would have to fight her. in the fourth match. right after his team would face team C-22: Ellis, Kayin Amoh, and Eiji Shinjo and before they face team C-1: Kyo Kusanagi, Shingo Yabuki, and Benimaru Nikaido. All three teams won their first matches. except for Eiji's team, who lost to Ryu's team yesterday. They didn't go down without a fight, though, making Darrell sweat. This tournament wasn't going to be easy.  
  
He closed his eyes while finishing his food off then stood up and brushed off the crumbs to his blue polo shirt.  
  
{I guess I could start spreading the word. Maybe that first guy I saw will listen. He seems like a nice guy.}  
  
Darrell sighed and made his way to the receptionist's desk to start his search.  
  
------ -----  
  
"Now then, Wangtang. Just clear your mind of all thoughts. Focus only on the energy that rests in your body. Once you have a lock on it, try to push it upwards."  
  
Wangtang was sitting Indian-style in front of his master's watchful eyes in his hotel room. They had been working ever since dawn on Wangtang's flight training. The elderly man already had a feeling that he had a lot of energy even without the Power Stones he used to fight with. Although Wangtang's team lost their first fight (which Yun, his teammate, didn't exactly take well), Wangtang was still willing to learn how to fly like the birds. After about two minutes of relocating his vigor, he followed his master's instruction and pushed it upwards. Nothing happened for a minute. but suddenly his body lifted off the carpet. first a few millimeters. then a few inches. until Wangtang was hovering over his sensei's body.  
  
"That's it! You're doing great!" he congratulated. "And you only have been working at it for 2 hours."  
  
A smile crossed the kid's face. "This. is pretty cool. I'm not even in Power Fusion mode. and I'm hovering. I bet to move around I channel my energy in the way I want to go, right?"  
  
The man nodded just as there was a knock at the door. Since no one else was awake at the time, he made his way to the front door and opened it. At the other side of the door was the dark-skinned teenager he saw fight the other day staring right into his eyes.  
  
"Uh. excuse me. I hope I didn't interrupt anything serious. This is where Wangtang's team resides right?"  
  
"You got the right place," he answered. "What can I help you with?"  
  
"Uh. before I start, can I come in first? What I have to say might be hard to swallow."  
  
"Okay."  
  
The elder moved to the side, allowing the teenager walk though the door. As he turned to the living room portion of the hotel room, he stopped on a dime and looked up into the air. and saw Wangtang taking his new ability out for a test spin all around the room.  
  
"He. he's. No way."  
  
"Yep! He's flying, alright!" the martial arts elder reassured him, putting his hands on his hips. "That's the fastest person to learn that. Only 2 hours. He's really impressive."  
  
"So. that's what he's doing."  
  
He breathed in deeply and plopped onto the hotel couch.  
  
"Hey, Wangtang! I've got a message for both of you."  
  
"Huh?" Wangtang let out as he stopped right over his head, looking down at him. He never saw this teenager before, and he guessed he knew his name through that fight he had yesterday, but he had something for him...  
  
"Master, how do I land?" he asked quizzily.  
  
"Oh. that's easy. Just drop your energy downward."  
  
Within a few seconds, Wangtang was staring at the kid as he started to deliver his message.  
  
"As you might know. my name's Darrell Markis, the only guy on team C-8, not that I'm bitter. I'm here to. warn you about a huge event that's going down exactly 10 days from now at the finals. There is a very angry man that I beat in a fight a month ago and I thought I killed, but he managed to teleport just before my final attack could defeat him for good. His name is Akuma, and he has on either a black or purple gi with red hair that sort of resembles hellfire. His skin is totally dark like mine. but that's caused by the Evil Energy surging through his veins. He's insanely strong. and he'll attack me on the day of the finals. and whoever gets in his way.  
  
"Oh, and that's not the extent of it. It turns out. that in addition to the Akuma threat, there are two other guys that will cause havoc at the same exact time. Unlike Akuma, I have NO idea what these two are or look like. All I know is that they are just as strong as Akuma. and even with my. special powers, I can't take them on by myself. That's why I'm here telling you this. I need as much help as I can get to beat them. and. let's say that a little birdie. or rose. told me that you can help me."  
  
Darrell was met by an eerie silence from both Wangtang and his sensei. The elder's eyes weren't friendly anymore. They were totally serious, but as far as Wangtang was concerned, he had on the biggest look of disbelief on his face.  
  
"You. you have to be kidding, right?" he asked.  
  
"No." the other one answered for Darrell. "While he was telling us his story, I felt it in his eyes. He's totally serious about this."  
  
"Yes, I am." the teen reiterated. "My whole team. could really use your help."  
  
Wangtang stared into his eyes for a long moment before breathing in. "I guess I can't go through this tournament without getting into some type of mess. and I couldn't live with myself if I didn't help. Ten days from now, right?"  
  
Darrell nodded.  
  
"Okay," Wangtang said. "I'll tell my team about it and don't worry about a thing. We'll help."  
  
A feeble smile appeared on Darrell's face as he got up.  
  
"Thank you! I really appreciate it! I got to tell a few other teams about this. See ya later!"  
  
And with that, the dark-skinned fighter jumped off the couch and walked out happily. As Wangtang watched him go, Wangtang's master looked at him and said, "This Akuma guy. by what that kid was saying, I can tell he's insanely strong. but evil. I'll need to see for myself."  
  
Wangtang didn't respond. He was busy trying to put what Darrell said in order. In ten days, three guys, not one, will storm the tournament and unless they stop them, could run a muck all over the world. He breathed in deeply and said under his breath, "I'm really going to have to train for this one."  
  
----- ------  
  
Sakura K. knocked on door 206 a few times and waited. This was, according to the receptionist, the room Athena and her team was staying at. She leaned on the wall next to the door and thought about how her new friend was doing without her.  
  
{I wonder if she still remembers me.}  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Sakura's attention was caught by a youthful, female voice where the door was. She spun around to see a girl her height with purple eyes and long, purple hair that ran down her back. She had on a schoolgirl fuku that resembled Sakura's school uniform a bit. Sakura stared at her for a quick second before finally remembering who she was.  
  
"Hey, Athena! Remember me? Sakura Kasugano?"  
  
The teen girl gazed at her with a blank expression on her face for another 3 seconds before she gasped in surprise.  
  
"Sakura. oh! It's you, Sakura! How's it going? I didn't recognize you without your uniform on."  
  
Sakura smiled. "Well, its summertime. Why should I wear it all-year long? I should be asking you why you have on a fuku yourself."  
  
Athena giggled a bit. "I was just trying out some new outfits for my fight tomorrow. I think. I'm fighting your team, right?"  
  
Sakura nodded in agreement. "Yep. Ironic, isn't it. Once time teammates going into a fight against one another."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Hey, are you going to let me in or not?"  
  
"Oh, sure! Come right in. I'm not doing anything special."  
  
Sakura stepped into the room, looking at everything that she could have found in her own room. She decided to sit down on the couch, accompanied by Athena.  
  
"Hey, you don't mind if I turn on the T.V.?" Sakura asked while grabbing the remote. Athena just nodded and Sakura pressed Power. The tube instantly turned on and showcased its default channel, News Combo 7, the official broadcaster for the Millennium tournaments. not to mention this one. As the female reporter started on the measly stuff like the weather, Sakura decided to carry on with her conversation.  
  
"So, Athena. who has everything been since I saw you in Osaka?"  
  
"Well. I continued on with my singing career and helping Bao and Kensou on their. abilities. Unfortunately. Kensou lost his. We don't know when it will return, but he didn't seem to mind it. He has been using his fists."  
  
"Uh. just where are they, anyway? I never saw them before."  
  
"Don't worry, Sakura. You'll see them soon enough."  
  
Both smiled as Athena stood up in front of Sakura, twirling her body around so she could see the back of her blue skirt.  
  
"So. Sakura. How does this look on me? I don't want anything. to show off while I'm fighting. Honestly, I don't see how you can fight with a fuku on."  
  
"I really don't think about it," Sakura responded while looking at her own jeans and short-sleeved shirt then looking back at Athena's uniform. "If it were up to me, I'd fight in a wedding dress if I have to."  
  
"Hmm. a wedding dress. Hold that thought."  
  
Sakura watched as Athena focused herself. A familiar pink aura came out of her body, causing her hair to fly up as if a gust of wind blew it. After a while, Athena's school uniform disappeared, leaving only her. unmentionables. Sakura instantly blushed at the sight of her friend as her clothes were replaced with a long, silver dress and high heels; her hair was wrapped into a fancy hairdo. When her aura disappeared, Athena looked down to see Sakura's beet red face and blushed herself.  
  
"Uh. sorry, Sakura. I should have warned you before I changed wardrobe."  
  
A small giggle could be heard from Sakura's mouth. "At least that with your Psycho powers you don't have to worry about carrying a lot of clothes with you. but honestly you take things too seriously. Personally, I like the fuku better."  
  
"Oh. guess who's getting in touch with her long-lost feminine side," Athena teased as her aura shone again. Within 5 seconds, she had on the same clothes Sakura saw her wear at the door. "Normally you wouldn't care what I wear."  
  
"What's wrong with giving a tip every once and a while? Uh. Athena? Can you do me a favor?"  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Well. seeing you in that uniform. I sort of miss mine now. Can you.?"  
  
"Yeah. Just hold still."  
  
Once again, Athena focused her Psycho energy, but this time, both girls were covered with the aura. Just like Athena, Sakura's jeans and shirt disappeared and were replaced with her trademark Tamagawa Minami fuku, complete with the headband, red sneakers, and handguards.  
  
"Pretty nifty," Sakura commented while getting up and inspecting her new uniform.  
  
Athena smiled as she compared the two identical clothes to one another. The only real difference was that Sakura's scarf was yellow. Athena's was red. Before she could go any farther, Sakura interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"So you're going to wear that when we fight, right?"  
  
"Only if you are."  
  
"So I guess that a yes, then. Hey, did you eat yet?"  
  
Athena shook her head. "I only woke up a half-hour ago."  
  
"Why don't you come down to the lobby and get some breakfast there. I didn't eat while I was down there, but Darrell, my teammate, did. He seemed to enjoy it."  
  
"Sure! Just hold on while I wake up the sleepyheads."  
  
Athena turned and went into the bedrooms to the right. A minute passed and Sakura heard random talk while she watched the tournament report on the T.V. The woman on the T.V. got to the tournament standing, and it was the exact same as the tournament paper she read at the diner. Her team was in 4th place, although it didn't matter since everyone in the upper half of the competition was 1-0, but tomorrow's match was going to matter. A lot.  
  
"Okay, Sakura," Athena finally called out as she walked out of the bedroom. "They'll catch up with us. Let's get out of here."  
  
----- ------  
  
"I don't believe you, Botan," Yusuke said flatly. "There is no way I'm going to believe that this tournament is going to turn into a remix of the Dark Tournament. I came here for the money, not to battle another freak of nature."  
  
"Yusuke, you'll just have to believe me," Boton pleaded. "I overheard those three talking in their hotel room. In 10 days things are going to get very messy around here."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Yusuke cut Boton off with his statement. "I bet this guy isn't nearly as strong as Toguro, whoever he is."  
  
"Yusuke! This isn't the time to act all proud about your abilities! The kid said that this Akuma guy was very powerful. I could sense the struggle through the tiredness of Darrell's aura. He could hide his like anyone else, but that doesn't prove the fact that his Spirit Energy is no where near full strength."  
  
Yusuke plopped down onto his hotel room's couch and resumed his argument with Boton with, "So? He just came off a fight last night. It could come from that."  
  
Boton sighed. "You are just stubborn."  
  
"Yeah, whatever. Listen, I'm going to get something to eat. See ya."  
  
Boton watched in disgust as Yusuke got off the couch just as fast as he got on it and left the room. Her face was red with frustration. Even after that tournament, Yusuke hardly ever grows up.  
  
"So. what's the use? I'll just have to convince the others about that."  
  
"Don't worry, woman. We're already interested in this. demon."  
  
Boton spun around to see Hiei and Kurama staring right back at her. She jumped back, startled then regained her senses.  
  
"You overheard?" she asked before correcting herself. "Stupid question."  
  
"Like I said, we're already interested,' Hiei repeated coldly. "Ten days. I'll see if this guy is worth of my time."  
  
"But the thing is. how did someone like him get through to this world without Koenma knowing? It makes no sense."  
  
----- -----  
  
"I don't believe it," Athena said while swallowing some of her food. "You? In love? That's the biggest surprise that I've heard throughout my life so far."  
  
Sakura blushed a bit while answering. "Yeah, I was surprised by it myself. A lot of weird things happened to us in the last few months, but throughout it all, Darrell had me in first priority. I needed a little push from. my sister to get my feelings out in the open."  
  
Athena stared at her friend with intensity. "Your. sister.?"  
  
"Oh. you didn't meet her? She's on my team. I'm pretty surprised you missed her. Sakura Satsu. She looks just like me only her skin is darker. You can say that. she's a part of me."  
  
"A part of you.? Satsu." Athena's expression was blank, putting the pieces together before she was interrupted with a yell from the main lobby.  
  
"Sakura?"  
  
"Looks like Hinata managed to meet me here after all," Sakura replied as her other friend ran up towards the table. As Hinata stopped, she stared at the two girls sitting down, then placed her attention on Sakura fully. Both Athena and Sakura had on identical fukus, save for the different colored scarves tied around their neck.  
  
"Sakura. how did you get your uniform here?" Hinata asked.  
  
"Athena gave me one, but enough about that. I know that you and my sis were eavesdropping on my conversation with Darrell last night."  
  
Hinata's now panicky expression on her face was enough evidence that Sakura needed to confirm the crime. Now was the matter concerning how she felt about it.  
  
"So. what do you think?"  
  
Hinata stammered a bit as she sat down across from Sakura. "I. I. I have to be perfectly honest with you, Sakura."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"I think. that it's about time you got that off your chest."  
  
The tables have turned! Sakura was the one with the confused expression. "What? You mean that you aren't mad or jealous or anything like that?"  
  
Hinata shook her head while smiling. "Why should I? I like Darrell as a friend, but not like he likes you. and apparently how you like him. Admit it. You always had him close to your heart. Even a bit closer than Ryu. You just needed to convince yourself of that. I'm proud of you."  
  
Sakura gave Hinata a soft look. "Thanks."  
  
Hinata nodded then turned her attention to Athena, who took the time to eat half her breakfast while the two were talking. "You know. we didn't exactly formally meet. My name is Hinata."  
  
"Wabaka."  
  
"Wabaka."  
  
Hinata stopped at the fact that Sakura said her last name along with her. She glanced at Sakura and asked, "Why did you just copy me?"  
  
"What? I didn't say anything. I was eating."  
  
Hinata stared at her for a second then looked back at Athena and cocked an eyebrow. Athena was looking at her as if she seen a ghost as her eyes were big and her finger was pointing to her. or rather above her. Hinata turned around and came face to face with Sakura's sister who had a mischievous grin on her face.  
  
"You." she muttered at Sakura Satsu.  
  
"Yep! You got that right," Sakura S. replied. She turned her attention to Athena, who still had the look of shock on her face. "Long time no see, huh, Athena?"  
  
Athena shook her head before answering. "I take it that you're Sakura Satsu, right?"  
  
"Yeah. That's my name, but everyone I know just calls me Sakura S. We also started calling that Sakura over there Sakura K. whenever we are together."  
  
"Okay." Athena switched her focus on Sakura K. "How in the world did you get a twin sister? Have you been holding out on me?"  
  
"No. I guess I can tell you. but I also have to tell you something important. "  
  
As Sakura K. told the tale of her sister coming about, she didn't notice Ryu passing by, heading outside to clear his mind for his next bout the following day. Once he heard Sakura's voice, he turned to that direction to see Sakura, her sister, and two of her friends sitting at a table, discussing something. The little bit of dialog that he heard really surprised him.  
  
"So this woman appeared and told us that Akuma is still alive, stronger than ever. We've got 10 days to get as much help as we can to beat him. Darrell's all over that recruiting stuff and I'll join him later."  
  
I can't believe that he's still alive after that attack. Ryu thought to himself. But at the same time. I'm not surprised. He survived a lot of my finishing attacks. but this is serious. He must still be in his Shin Akuma state and if he's stronger in that state.  
  
Ryu shook his head and left to carry on with his business with new purpose.  
  
----- -----  
  
"This sounds pretty serious." Athena said with a worried look on her face.  
  
"It is," Hinata followed. "I was there when he supposedly was beaten. It makes no sense how he can still be alive."  
  
"I. think I can make some sense out of it."  
  
Everyone looked over to Sakura Satsu's direction.  
  
"He's a being of Satsu no Hadou, but unlike Evil Ryu and me, he let his power get to the point that he's like Bison. I can understand the whole teleporting out of the way of oblivion. but the fact that Ryu beat him so many times. and he keeps coming back. He wants to be destroyed."  
  
"I don't get it," Sakura S.'s sister responded. "Why would anyone want to be killed?"  
  
"I guess it is that he's beaten so many others. he's probably bored or something. I really don't know his real motives, but when he saw us, I guess he saw how much power we all possess and wants us to do the job. We need to come up with a way to get his ass to get down and stay down, not just knock him down."  
  
Sakura K. groaned slightly, her anger rising.  
  
"I don't believe this!" she shouted a bit while kicking her legs out under the table, not knowing that she hit her sister's legs. hard.  
  
"OW!!" she howled out in pain, catching the other girls' attention. She sucked it in before glaring at Sakura K. "What was that for?! I didn't deserve that!"  
  
"Sorry." she apologized. "I should watch my." Suddenly, the lighter Sakura's face tightened in pain. She tried to hold her response. but it didn't work.  
  
"YEOW!" she yelped while holding her right leg. Sakura S. got her revenge by returning her sister's kick.  
  
"That's what you get."  
  
"Why you.!"  
  
"Hold on!" Athena cut in, but it was too late. Sakura K. shot out of her seat and lunged at her sister, tackling her. Both Sakura's had their little fight on the ground while Hinata and Athena just watched. Luckily, the fight lasted only 10 seconds before someone broke it up.  
  
"You know. twins should fight each other. It just isn't right."  
  
Both Sakuras were panting as they looked up to see two junior high students standing over them. The taller one had a few scars on his face, a blue uniform and orange hair that was silked in a way so that the front pointed straight out. The other was shorter with silked black/green hair and a green uniform.  
  
"Oh, man," the darker twin moaned. "This is so embarrassing."  
  
"Don't worry about anything," the shorter teen said with a smile. "We didn't see anything important." Suddenly his voice turned to a whisper as he looked to the side. "Well. not from the dark twin, anyway."  
  
POW!!  
  
Sakura K. got to her feet and smacked the kid so fast it seemed as if she moved in a blur.  
  
"Wow. That was pretty bad," the orange-haired male said while smiling. "You should watch what you say to older people, Urameshi."  
  
"Shut up. Kuwabara." the other kid answered with swirls in his eyes.  
  
"Wait. Urameshi?" Athena said to herself quizzily then she said out loud, "Yusuke Urameshi?"  
  
"Yeah? That's my name," the short teen responded while getting up and brushing his clothes off with a hand.  
  
"Yusuke." Sakura K. repeated. "You know. I was looking for you."  
  
"Really? Just what do you want?"  
  
"Well, I have a message for you. Uh. Excuse me be who are you?"  
  
"What?" he asked, following Sakura's pointed finger. aimed behind him. He spun around.  
  
SMACK!!  
  
"This just isn't your day, huh?" Sakura S. teased at Yusuke's fallen body, his cheek swollen red. A girl with long, brown hair and eyes, wearing a red shirt and skirt had just came out of nowhere and smacked the flavor out of his mouth. For some reason, she was blushing, but it wasn't clear if it was from anger or embarrassment.  
  
"Yusuke, you jerk!" she yelled out. "I can't believe you would go and look at her like that!"  
  
"Keiko. What are you doing here?" Yusuke asked while once again getting off the floor.  
  
"Why don't you ever tell me when you'll be off on another one of your cases?" she asked, totally ignoring Yusuke's question. "You know I get worried when you go."  
  
"Man, you act like my girlfriend or something. Besides, this isn't a case. I'm here strictly for the prize money."  
  
"That's not what Boton told me." Keiko countered. "She told me that you were on a new case assigned by your boss looking for another demon."  
  
"WHAT!?"  
  
"You mean to tell me that she didn't tell you about it?"  
  
Yusuke started to stutter before he finally got his words straight. "Koenma. I swear I'm going to get you for this." he muttered.  
  
"Hold on." Sakura S. butted into the new conversation. "Did this Boton character tell you who this demon was?"  
  
"She only told me his name," Keiko replied. "I. think it was. Akuma."  
  
Instantly, everyone stared at Keiko, getting her nervous.  
  
"Uh. did I say something wrong?"  
  
That's the person Boton was telling me about earlier. Yusuke thought to himself.  
  
"That was exactly what I was about to warn Yusuke about," Sakura K. said. "I saw my teammate fight him. He's pretty strong. Very strong."  
  
"So. there is another demon on the loose," Kuwabara muttered loudly while grasping his chin. "Not to worry ladies. I'll make sure he meets his maker."  
  
"I'm not sure you know what you are getting into." Hinata mumbled.  
  
"It's not a problem," he convinced. "You didn't see me fight yet. You'll be pretty surprised."  
  
"I just hope you are right about that."  
  
To Be Continued. 


	23. Spreading the Message part 2

23. Spreading the Message part 2  
  
NOTE: This section includes some feistish and a bit of sexual content. Just a warning.  
  
"Wow. you should have seen the match, Sakura," Darrell said as their team entered their hotel room around 8:00 P.M. "They kicked ass! Seriously! They couldn't even get past Sean!"  
  
"That's pretty bad." Hinata commented while taking off her sneakers and plopping onto the couch, her socks half-way off from walking so much.  
  
"Other than that I didn't find the rest of the fights that entertaining." Sakura K. added while standing next to a wall and throwing her sneakers at the front door. They hit the door and rested on the carpet right in front of it.  
  
"Well I guess we can enjoy ourselves before that day comes." Sakura added as she walked over to the coffee table in front of the couch Hinata was on and used the remote to turn on the T.V. She actually turned the channel from News Combo 7 to a sitcom before sitting next to Hinata. Sakura's eyes spotted her sister go into one of the bedrooms and Darrell come in from the small kitchen area with a drink in his hand.  
  
"Neh. trust me. Things will pick up. huh?"  
  
Darrell stopped and looked at the two girls on the couch. Sakura's right sock and Hinata's left sock were touching. but they didn't seem to mind it. He just cocked an eyebrow, dismissed it and sat down next to Sakura in the last available spot on the couch. Sakura K. took her eyes off the tube and stared at the boy that sat next to her. He had on a long white tee- shirt and blue jeans. and his black sneakers were still on his feet. For some reason, a small smile crossed her face.  
  
{Eh. why not? I'm feeling pretty naughty right now. Might as well enjoy it.}  
  
"Darrell. why don't you make yourself more comfortable and take off your sneakers like we did?" she asked.  
  
Darrell looked at her with a confused look on his face. and for some reason he was blushing a tiny bit. "Uh. why do you. want me to do that?"  
  
"Just a suggestion," Sakura replied.  
  
She was greeted with Darrell's smile as he bent down and unlaced his sneakers.  
  
"Just throw them over there." she added as he finished and like a loyal servant, he followed her orders. His sneakers hit the carpet and rolled over to where Sakura's were. He slumped back into the white sofa and Sakura followed. As all three watched T.V., Sakura S. finished her business and sat in the chair closest to Hinata's side of the couch.  
  
"So. is everyone ready for tomorrow's match?" Sakura S. asked. The others muttered their approval while still occupied with the comedy. A few seconds of silence later Darrell took another sip of his cup then reached forward to put it down on the table. As he moved forward, his right leg slipped and his foot made contact with Sakura's. Although he didn't show it directly, his attention immediately turned to his latest action.  
  
"Sorry about that," he apologized while sitting back again.  
  
"Don't worry about it," she responded. "It's fine."  
  
Darrell's body was suddenly overcome with a feeling that stiffened it up a bit. He glanced down to the carpet and saw Sakura's leg creep onto his. He felt the fabric of her cotton sock on his. and his blush grew a little more.  
  
"Uh. Sakura.?" he whispered. "What are.?"  
  
He stopped when he heard her tiny mischievous giggle.  
  
"I told you not to worry about it." she answered back.  
  
{She's doing this on purpose.} Darrell finally realized. {I. uh. now what?}  
  
Sakura's next move totally threw Darrell off. She started to slowly and gently rub her leg against his up and down, causing his expression to become even more obvious.  
  
{Yep. He likes that. and I sort of like it too,} Sakura thought to herself while smiling. {That's why I told him to take off his sneakers. Just to feel my sock against his. Now let's see if he returns the favor.}  
  
{You aren't making this easy on me, Sakura,} Darrell thought. {Do you want me to.?}  
  
Darrell sighed and quietly asked, "Sakura. do you. want me to. go on with this.?"  
  
"What do you think? I'm the one who started this game. It's up to you to see if you want to play on."  
  
"A game, huh? Well. you can say that I just pressed Start."  
  
Sakura suddenly felt Darrell's leg in action as it returned her rubbing. She almost gasped at the feel of it.  
  
{This. is actually pretty relaxing.} she thought. {I just find it weird that the others didn't notice it yet.}  
  
"You okay?" she heard Darrell's voice in her ear.  
  
"Yeah." she breathed.  
  
"You are taking this pretty seriously."  
  
"I know."  
  
"You. aren't playing. oh, never mind. We already know how we feel about one another."  
  
Sakura K. nodded as she stood up and looking into his eyes.  
  
"Come on.," she said out loud so that the others could hear. "I. need to have a talk with you."  
  
"Okay." He responded while following her into their bedroom. Hinata kept her eyes on the two as they closed the door behind them and locked it.  
  
"Hey. Sakura S. What do you think they are talking about?"  
  
"How am I supposed to know?" she replied while grabbing the remote off the table and commenced channel surfing. "Whatever is between those two lovebirds is their business. I might be nosy sometimes, but I'm not that nosy. Besides, I'm more concerned trying to find something to watch. This comedy didn't make me laugh yet."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Sit down here, Darrell," Sakura K. commanded while patting the area of the bed that was just next to her. Of course, like a good boy, Darrell sat down and looked at her.  
  
"I. really don't know how you managed to. know. that. certain thing about me," Darrell started, ".but you. seemed to enjoy it more than I did."  
  
"Well. what can I say? I don't know why I did that either. I just. felt like it. and I did it."  
  
Darrell sat up so that his whole body was on the bed as he faced Sakura, sitting on his legs.  
  
"You." was the only word that came out of his mouth as he eyed his girlfriend. "You are really something."  
  
Sakura blushed a bit as she sat while facing Darrell. Her feet were a few centimeters away from Darrell's knees and both knew that. For some reason, Sakura wanted to get closer, but she held it for the right moment.  
  
"I. guess our hormones are on overdrive," Sakura guessed.  
  
Darrell only nodded as he shifted his legs so that they missed Sakura's, but were terribly close.  
  
"So. now what?" Darrell asked. "I really believe in the whole 'you-know- what' only after marriage thing, so let's not go that far in our decision, okay?"  
  
Sakura agreed by nodding. "Let's. just tease each other a bit. I. really can't hold this any longer."  
  
"Hold what?"  
  
"My feelings. They seem to just pile up every time I seen you ever since this afternoon. I need to get a load off."  
  
"Okay then. Just to make you feel relaxed. Just what do you want me to do?"  
  
"It's simple really. Just give me your right leg."  
  
Without questioning it, Darrell let Sakura lift his leg onto her lap. She observed it a bit, making Darrell a tad nervous.  
  
{This is a side of her I never see before. I wonder if. she always had this side of her. only hidden.}  
  
Before he could think about it anymore, Sakura put her hands on his sock and felt it a bit. She also moved her right leg so that it rested on Darrell, her foot right on his chest. She stopped and looked at the confused look on his face.  
  
"Go on. You have my permission to do whatever you want to it. just as long as I have my way with yours."  
  
Surprisingly, Darrell was quick to respond with a "That's fine with me. I've acted shy around girls for too long. I need to just jump in." He paused to touch her sock and added, "You know. I like this type of sock. It's soft."  
  
"Yeah. Man, Darrell, it's sort of ironic that you came to Tokyo to relax. and to chill out with your friends and me. but we wind up falling in love. and going into a huge fight later next week."  
  
"Sakura. let's not worry about Akuma now." he said. "Let's only think about each other."  
  
Sakura nodded then pushed herself backwards on the bed so that their socks were the only thing touching. She started to wiggle her toes a bit, tickling Darrell. Normally Darrell isn't ticklish, but. he started to stifle a giggle.  
  
"Come on, Darrell," she taunted. "You scared after all?"  
  
"S-scared?? Please!"  
  
Darrell retaliated, and unlike his tolerance, Sakura was extremely ticklish. She instantly stopped and let a series of short laughing bursts, rolling in the bed.  
  
"That's a surprise." he noted. "I didn't know that you were that ticklish, Sakura."  
  
Sakura didn't respond. She wiped the tears off her eyes and got into position again.  
  
"You got that off. but this time I got you."  
  
"Humph! You act like this is a street fight or something."  
  
Sakura replied with her. 'attack' as Darrell started at the same time. Their socks were locked in their own battle as both fought in this new and unique competition that Sakura just made up. Sakura was about to burst laughing but managed to hold it.  
  
"You're weakening, already?" Darrell teased. "I'm not even warmed up yet."  
  
Sakura didn't reply, for she knew that the moment she opened her mouth she would laugh to no end. She had an idea. Sakura battled Darrell a little longer until something unexpected happened.: both pairs of socks tangled with one another.  
  
"Huh?" Darrell gasped while trying to continue, but because of the way it was tangled, he tickled himself and Sakura.  
  
"Gotcha!" Sakura yelled as she reached forward aiming for Darrell's chest. but instead grabbed his sides and started to tickle him with her fingers. That did the trick as Darrell suddenly held his breath to keep from giving in, causing her to go faster.  
  
{Oh. no. I'll get you before you get me!}  
  
Since Sakura was right in front of him, he only forced his arms to copy her, almost breaking her momentum.  
  
"You'll. have. to try better. than that.!" Sakura shuddered through laughs.  
  
The two kept going. not noticing that both were slowly going off the bed's edge. until it was too late.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Whoa!"  
  
Both toppled over the bed. and landed on their heads. Their legs, along with every point below the waist were tangled in a web of limbs above their heads, resting on the wall. Their arms were laid out on the carpet, unable to move from the sudden lack of energy.  
  
"Wow." Sakura K. marveled while breathing on Darrell's face. "That. was fun."  
  
"You got that right. but you know that we can't move now, right? The blood is going to rush to our heads now. and we'll pass out."  
  
"Frankly. that is something I'd videotape. Too bad I'm already feeling dizzy."  
  
"You want to try to break out?"  
  
".nah. I got a better idea."  
  
Darrell felt Sakura try to move her legs, but they were knotted with his. The only thing that really moved was her feet and they only rubbed against his.  
  
"If we do pass out. I want to do it in a ball," Sakura explained while flashing a weak smile. "You don't mind if you moved your upper. or rather. lower body closer?"  
  
"You know. I like this side of you. You don't have a care right now."  
  
Darrell moved closer to Sakura, which wasn't very far. When he stopped advancing, he was face to face with Sakura, his arms on hers and their socks meshed on one anther. Neither shared any words as they stared into each other's eyes with more affection than ever before.  
  
"So, Sakura. how do you feel?"  
  
"Better. Much better. despite the dizziness I'm feeling."  
  
"Same here." Darrell paused and then said something that made Sakura smile and blush simultaneously. "Man, do I love you."  
  
Sakura didn't respond verbally, but she did rub her socks weakly against her boyfriends' and Darrell returned the favor. They played on as Darrell started to speak.  
  
"You know. I have this book at home. that tells you about your personality through various methods. I looked up our zodiac signs one day. and came to the realization that we aren't supposed to get along."  
  
"I guess this is. an exception," Sakura sighed as she finally locked up with Darrell's body. The two were just one big pile of limbs on the floor, breathing heavily in each other's faces. Although they weren't fighting, the two were exhausted, finally letting their feet rest on one another.  
  
"You tired. too?" Darrell asked.  
  
"Yeah." Sakura replied as she looked up and glanced at their socks, which resembled one big, white piece of cotton.  
  
"That little battle we just had. Do you want to call it a draw?"  
  
"I. think. I got a bit left in me." was Darrell's response as he struggled to move his feet to pin Sakura's on the wall. He didn't have any luck as Sakura pushed against him, not letting either move.  
  
"Okay. a draw." he finally accepted. "Our socks. are pretty much crammed together, huh?"  
  
"Yeah. and I'm too weak to separate. not that I want to. I like the feel of our bodies brushing on the other. It's weird. I never had that feeling before. until I. well. 'met' you in that way."  
  
Darrell gargled a response as his eyes started to close. The blood rush was getting to him, and Sakura realized it.  
  
"You okay over there?"  
  
"Sakura. regardless of what it might look like, I'm having the time of my life with you. And like you said, you wanted us to pass out together. It just so happens that I might go before you do."  
  
Both smiled weakly while letting their socks smush even more until it started to hurt their feet a bit.  
  
"I guess that saying is true. when they say love makes you do the craziest things." Darrell said.  
  
"Looks like it is true."  
  
Now Sakura started to get sleepy. She yawned in Darrell's face, but Darrell didn't notice.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"You don't need to be. but I think. our socks had enough of a workout. Let's let out bare feet do the talking now."  
  
"Sounds like a plan."  
  
Both reached up and started to grab their socks, but Sakura missed and hit Darrell's hand. They held hands unintended as Darrell looked up into Sakura's body.  
  
"Okay. let's kick them off." he mumbled.  
  
"Fine."  
  
They let their arms fall to the ground and pushed their feet against one another, making their socks slide onto the floor. Sakura then started to lightly kick Darrell's feet a few times then brushed hers on his. As soon as they were done, Sakura put an effort to reach out and grab Darrell by the shoulders then his waist.  
  
"Come over here."  
  
She pulled his body insanely close to hers to the point that there was no space in-between. She squeezed her legs tight as if to not let him go. Sakura stared into Darrell's eyes for a long 5 seconds, tightening her hug like she was going to suffocate him.  
  
"I hope you like this." she said. then kissed him. Darrell heard himself muffle a small protest but for one it wasn't audible and two; he wised up and let Sakura continue the lip lock.  
  
{You're right, Sakura. I like this. This time, it's for real.}  
  
Neither knew what happened after that. Perhaps they did pass out from the blood rush to the head. All they knew was that they loved being in the other's company. and when they woke up the following morning, the golden aura was shining brightly around them. reminding them of their night when they kissed for the first time. in reality.  
  
End of Chapter 23 


	24. Sakura vs Athena

24. Sakura vs. Athena  
  
"Okay, guys. We're almost up," Darrell announced as he watched the fight taking place in the arena in front of him. It was one of the three taking place simultaneously and had Ibuki from C-11 taking on Mitsumi from C-17. It was a close match throughout the whole battle, but Ibuki was the last person on her team and Mitsumi still had Yun and Yang in reserve. Ibuki was, as her appearance suggested (a white, sleeveless ninja gi complete with the mask covering her mouth), a female teenage ninja who was new to the tournament circuit. She was dodging the attacks Mitsumi was throwing, who was also a newbie. Mitsumi had on a blue shirt and pants with a gold dragon design running down her pant leg as well as a white headband that was covered by her brown hair. Running down her back was a huge braid that stopped toward the middle of her back. It swayed lively as she threw a few more attacks that Ibuki evaded by jumping into the air.  
  
"You'll love this." Ibuki commented as she hung in the air with her hands in her gi pockets. She rolled into a ball and spun around rapidly.  
  
"What are you doing.?" Mitsumi mumbled to herself while going defensive. She then heard Ibuki's "Here it comes! Kasumi Suzaku! Atare!" as she unleashed about 25 small daggers towards Mitsumi. She braced herself then jumped into the air to Ibuki's height. Ibuki didn't notice Mitsumi's presence as Mitsumi hung in the air while charging up.  
  
"Darkness."  
  
She then rushed forward as Ibuki finished her Kasumi Suzaku. and just before Mitsumi got close enough, Ibuki looked up.  
  
"Oh, no." she muttered as Mitsumi smashed her elbow into her check. then everything went black.  
  
"Dragoon Blast!" Mitsumi's voice rang out in the darkness. then a huge purple blast was the only thing visible. then everything went back to normal. Ibuki was on the ground, unconscious, with her clothing torn in many placed and cuts all over her. Mitsumi landed on the ground, her arm outstretched and smoking, and smiled at her handiwork.  
  
"I was working on that move for weeks. I'm glad it worked. because I used all my vigor on that one blast." She spun around as the announcer finished his ten-count and added, "You'll get up in time for you next match, Ibuki. Maybe you won't be 100%... but you'll be up."  
  
As Mitsumi left the ring to meet up with Wangtang, Yun, and Yang and Ibuki was helped out the ring by Maki, one of her teammates, the announcer started his announcing getting the crowd excited.  
  
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, Mitsumi's Darkness Dragoon Blast just put her team at 1 win and 1 loss in the tournament standings while Ibuki's team drops down to the same ranking. I hope you're anxious to get the ball rolling for the next match, because it has a lot of young faces in it. Darrell Markis and his C-8 team are going to take on Athena Asamiya and her C-6 team. Both teams are 1-0, so a lock on the undefeated ranking is at stake, and it's coming right now, so can we get the first two fighters up on stage?"  
  
Darrell looked up to the ring while standing up from the warm up bench. He heard the crowd go into a frenzy as he did his action and a smile came across his face.  
  
{It's like I'm a celebrity here, now.} he thought. {I guess I'll go up first again.}  
  
Just before he could take a step forward, he felt a hand grab his shoulder. He spun around to see Sakura K. staring at him, wearing her school fuku and white headband.  
  
"Listen, Darrell. Could you do me a favor and let me go first this time? I want to fight Athena in the first round."  
  
"Uh. sure. Be my guest."  
  
Darrell stepped to the side, letting Sakura hop into the ring to test her skills against her friend. Just as she landed into the ring, Athena jumped in the other side and walked to her starting point. Darrell was sort of surprised to see Athena wearing the same exact fuku as Sakura, for the exception of the red scarf and actual school shoes that Athena had on.  
  
"Okay, people," the announcer started, "it looks as if we have Athena Asamiya taking on Sakura Kasugano in the first bout. These two, as you might remember from the previous Mark of the Millennium tournament, were once on the same team, so it'll be interesting to see how they fare against one another. Now, you two know the rules, so let's get down to business. Round 1. Fighters, are you ready?"  
  
"I am," Sakura answered while getting into her fighting stance. "Are you, Athena?"  
  
Athena smiled while getting ready. "Of course! Let's do this!"  
  
"FIGHT!"  
  
Immediately, Sakura charged in with her fist at her side.  
  
"Shouoken!" she yelled out as she got within range to deliver her signature special move, but something unexpected happened. Athena's body deterialized into pink Psycho energy and warped behind Sakura, catching her off guard. Sakura tried to screech to a halt, but it didn't work.  
  
"Gotcha!" Athena shouted as she stopped Sakura in her tracks by putting her hands on her back. then raising her hand up into the air, causing Sakura to follow. Athena then jumped up into the air, her right hand holding some more energy.  
  
"Psycho Sword!"  
  
Sakura K. was nailed 7 times by Athena's energy attack before plummeting to the canvas. She managed to safe fall to avoid a flying kick from Athena, then nailed her with a strong punch to the face as she landed. Athena's head snapped back in recoil and she held her nose to check if she was bleeding. It proved to be a bad mistake as Sakura charged up and hit her again with a Hadouken, sending her back-pedaling.  
  
"Shunpukyaku!"  
  
Athena shook her head and saw her opponent perform her jumping spin kick to follow up. She blocked and retaliated with a knee to the gut, but Sakura was quick to recover and blocked her attack as well. Athena started to back off, planning her next move, and as Sakura K. followed in pursuit, the announcer kept the spectators up to speed with a quick analysis.  
  
"Both girls came out the gate swinging, but now it looks as if they're using their heads this time."  
  
{It must have been a while for me to fall for that little combo,} Sakura thought. {I'd better pick at her and see what new moves she got.}  
  
Sakura dashed in to jab Athena in the face. Athena easily blocked it, but she didn't expect Sakura to lightly kick her ankles to break her guard.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Sakura roofed her friend with a jumping uppercut, but as Athena reached the height of her pop-up, she flipped right-side up and rolled into a ball.  
  
"I know this move!" Sakura said out loud while landing, trying to block, but just as her feet touched the ground, Athena came crashing down, her body covered with Psycho Energy.  
  
"Phoenix Arrow!" Athena called as she collided into Sakura's body, stunning her for a quick second. Athena landed while ducking and kicked Sakura's legs out from under her, sending Sakura to the ground.  
  
"After a short break, the action starts up again. Sakura pulled out a short Shouoken variation, but Athena countered with her Phoenix Arrow, knocking her once-time partner to the ground. Let's see how Sakura retaliates."  
  
Sakura was already on her feet when the announcer stopped and was blocking a strong roundhouse from Athena. She ducked a quick knee and kicked at Athena's supporting leg, causing her to lose balance and get on all fours to avoid falling all the way.  
  
"Ichiyo.!"  
  
As Athena recovered, Sakura was already in the air with her fists held above her head. She waited until Athena was up and bashed her on top of the head with a sledgehammer blow. Athena's head was forced down in recoil as Sakura landed behind her and grabbed her by the head and neck.  
  
{It's been a while since I saw Sakura use her Sakura Jime on someone.} Hinata thought as she looked at her friend squeeze on Athena's head from the sidelines. After the 5th choke, Athena came up with an idea.  
  
{Hope this works.}  
  
Athena concentrated her Psycho Energy on Sakura, who was just about to finish her grappling move with the overhead elbow smash until the sudden burst of energy stopped her in her tracks.  
  
"What the.?" Sakura asked in surprise as Athena lifted her free left arm upwards, causing Sakura's body to lift off the ground, loosening her grip from her head. Athena let Sakura float for a bit, then.  
  
"There!" Athena shouted out while throwing her now pointed finger to the other side of the ring. and you can tell where Sakura ended up at.  
  
"Using her Psycho Powers, Athena breaks up Sakura's grab move and throws her across the ring," the announcer updated. "They don't call her a Psycho Soldier for nothing."  
  
In a flash, Athena used her Psychic Teleport to get right in front of Sakura as she stood up. Sakura didn't notice Athena was right there until she lifted her gaze from the ground to straight. and as soon as she saw her, she gasped. Sakura went on instinct and blocked high. Too bad Athena went low with a sweep kick, knocking Sakura back on the canvas floor. To Athena's surprise, Sakura stayed down this time, and in response, she pouted a bit.  
  
"What's the matter?" Athena asked as the announcer already started his ten- count. "Don't tell me you are already giving up on me. are you?"  
  
{Tch! Just getting myself ready, Athena. I haven't used this move in a long while, but it's perfect for this moment.}  
  
At the count of three, Sakura suddenly spun around while simultaneously stunning Athena with a hard recovery kick to the chest.  
  
"Hey.!" Athena stuttered as she leaned forward, holding her stomach in pain as Sakura got to her feet.  
  
"You'll love this combo I've been working on. Kououken!'  
  
Sakura rushed forward and nailed Athena with a multi-hit punch like her Shouoken, but she ended the move with a regular uppercut rather than jumping after her opponent. As quickly as she could, Sakura braced herself.  
  
"Haru Ichiban!"  
  
Now Sakura jumped after Athena's falling body with a long, helicopter kick that she used on Ryu last month. She got up to about the height of 2 stories before she stopped her Shunpukyaku in mid-air and performed a few more attacks, ending it all with another sledgehammer blow.  
  
Athena screamed as her body was sent hurtling into the arena floor at such a high speed. She crash-landed on her back, the fall knocking the air out of her lungs. As Sakura landed on the ground and Athena was gasping to recover air, the announcer decided to let the audience know what just happened.  
  
"Now that's a fine example of the combination attack. Sakura got off the ground with a recovery kick, then into her old Kououken special move, then into a super version of her super combo, the Haru Ichiban! Yes folks, I was counting the number of hits in that combo and it was a whopping 26-hit combo! How can Athena counter that?"  
  
As Sakura watched Athena get to her feet at the count of 6, she couldn't help but be surprised at Athena's smile.  
  
"You've gotten better, Sakura," she complemented. "I never expected you to use that many variations of your moves. I better be careful!"  
  
"You should. We've been training for 3 weeks straight. Everyone on our team has something new under their sleeves."  
  
"Humph. I should have trained harder."  
  
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Why are you sounding like you already lost? We've only been fighting for 1 minute and 25 seconds."  
  
"I've didn't put as much time in my training like everyone else here did. I might still be a bit rusty on this new move I've been working on."  
  
"A new move? What is it?"  
  
Athena was about to reply, but she caught herself and waved a finger at Sakura. "Oh, no. I won't be telling you that just yet. You'll have to see it for yourself."  
  
"So let's go! I'm anxious to see what you can do in a school uniform."  
  
Athena blushed before getting into stance. While both girls continued the bout, Sakura S. got up from her seat, catching Hinata's attention.  
  
"Hey, Sakura. Where're you heading?"  
  
"I just want to see the other matches that are taking place here," the dark Sakura answered while walking towards the second arena where C-19 was fighting C-27. She looked up to see a familiar American with yellow hair that poked out in front of his face like a hanger was fighting a Japanese boxer.  
  
"Hey. I remember him. That's Charlie!"  
  
Charlie Nash was busy dodging Yugo's fast punching combinations with effort. He, as usual, had on his orange Air Force jacket with the green work pants and boots. Yugo wore a white shirt with a gold design in the middle with the words "SilverFang" on it, as well as black jeans and boots. Sakura looked at the match standing and saw that the two had all their teammates waiting to fight.  
  
{They must have just started their match.}  
  
Sakura sat down on a free bench close to the ring to monitor the action.  
  
"Sonic Boom!"  
  
Charlie threw his arm across his chest, emitting a yellow boomerang-like energy projectile that Yugo ducked easily. Yugo then sidestepped and threw three hard body punches. Charlie blocked the first two and parried the last one to counter with his Somersault Shell special move. Yugo was hit up into the air, but he air recovered and charged up, his fists on fire like Darrell's Shakunetsuken. A wolf howling could be heard throughout the arena as Yugo named his attack.  
  
"Here we go! King of Breaker!!"  
  
Charlie saw Yugo charge in and blocked his next barrage of flaming punches. After about the 20th hit, Yugo charged up and threw one final punch, this one covered with a large flame that leapt onto Charlie. Just before it connected, Charlie used his fists to bat the flames away to beat a pathway to Yugo. Charlie charged in. and unleashed his own assault of punches and kicks to Yugo's defensive guard.  
  
{That's his Crossfire Blitz.} the Satsu Sakura thought to herself. {Yugo must be a pretty good fighter to block all of that.}  
  
Sakura let herself get wrapped up into the fight she was watching as the battle continued.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Psycho Ball!"  
  
Sakura saw her opponent throw her energy ball at her and side-stepped it. She then charged in and performed a roundhouse kick that was blocked. Sakura then backed up and charged up her energy into a blue hall in her hands and threw it forward.  
  
"Teleport!"  
  
Sakura K. heard Athena yell as she went through her Hadouken and spun around to hit her as she came out her Psychic Teleport with a right hook. At the same time, Athena turned around to nail Sakura in the head with her own roundhouse kick. Both traded blows and reeled from the force. Sakura groaned as her head was forced to the right so fast that her whole body was staggering in that direction. She let her right arm fall to her side as she used her left hand to nurse the left side of her head. She looked through her right eye, which wasn't closed from pain, to see Athena doing the same thing she was doing.  
  
"That little trade off just broke the momentum of this bout," the ring announcer commented. "Both girls are recovering from the other's hard blow, but it shouldn't take long for them to get back up to speed."  
  
"You've must have been. lying when you said that you weren't training." Sakura said to her friend.  
  
"I thought I said that I. was training for only a few weeks." Athena answered while lifting her hand off her face and putting it on her hip. "Now, I guess it's time I put this match away."  
  
Sakura shook her head to get rid of her dizziness as Athena once again used her Psychic Teleport to move towards her.  
  
"Not this trick again. wait!"  
  
Sakura wasn't planning on Athena stopping right in front of her with her palm right in her face. Athena's body started to glow with her pink aura. and Sakura couldn't move her body. She just stared at Athena's hand.  
  
"That's it." Athena said quietly to herself as a small, pink ball of energy rested on her hand. then she shouted out, "Go!"  
  
The miniature Psycho Ball shot off and hit Sakura in the head, making Athena's aura to jump off onto hers.  
  
{What's. happening.?} Sakura asked herself as a sudden wave of dizziness came over her, making her hold her head with her left hand to keep from falling.  
  
"It's my new Psychic Disabler. I see you like it. and this will set up my payback for that huge combo you pulled off on me! Here it comes," Athena announced cheerfully as she jumped up above the dazed Sakura to charge up the aura. then called her next attack's name.  
  
"Phoenix Fang Arrow!!"  
  
Athena used her Phoenix Arrow special move to hit Sakura multiple times, but instead of sweeping Sakura off her feet, she teleported back into the air to follow up again. She repeated her sequence five times before finally sweeping Sakura off her feet. but she wasn't done. Athena immediately charged up again on the ground, causing a flashing pink and white aura to cover her body.  
  
"Yyyyahhh!" Athena yelled out as two huge Psychic Balls nailed Sakura's falling body above Athena's head. Athena heard Sakura cry out in pain as she canceled her current super move, channeling her Psycho energy into a single outstretched fingertip. She pointed her finger upwards. and something unexpected happened. Her pink ball of energy suddenly turned red.  
  
"Take this! Psycho Flame Sword!!"  
  
Athena's ball erupted upwards, once again connecting with Sakura's now helpless body. It formed a huge, red sword of energy, causing Sakura's entire body to erupt in flames. Without wasting any more time, Athena slammed her sword. and Sakura into the ring floor, making her energy fly all over the place and into the shield that protected the spectators from stray moves. Athena's attack left Sakura half-conscious on her back, her uniform shredded (but not so that anything personal showed), and breathing hard. Athena stood up straight for a quick second before collapsing to her knees. Her hands were resting on her sides and her hair was all over her shoulders and face.  
  
"Wow! That was fantastic! In retribution to Sakura's earlier uber-combo, Athena started her own combo with her new move, the Psycho Disabler. She then followed with her trademark super moves, the Phoenix Fang Arrow to the Shining Crystal Bit, then into another new move, the Psycho Flame Sword. Once again, I counted the hits and it was 31 hits of pure poetry! However, Athena looked to be completely depleted of her power right now."  
  
"Hey!" Athena finally shouted out to the announcer. "Don't you need to start the count or something?"  
  
"Oh, sorry. I'll start right away." He turned to Sakura's totaled body and commenced the ten-count as Athena started collecting her Psycho Power.  
  
"Oh, man did that take a lot out of me." Athena mumbled to herself as bits of her power came back and absorbed into her body. "I never thought I'd need to do all that. but it was worth it. As long as Sakura stays down after that."  
  
"W. wait.!"  
  
As the announcer counted to 7, Sakura called out to Athena as she very slowly got to her feet. Athena looked up to see Sakura wobble over to her, her fist clenched.  
  
"Don't. you dare think. I'd lose so easily." she told her friend as she leaned forward to put her hands on her knees, recuperating from Athena's blows.  
  
"You mean to tell me. that you are still up? You sure changed."  
  
Athena got to her feet, letting her arms dangle at her sides from weariness. Both teens stared into the other's eyes. and Athena finally saw something that she didn't see before.  
  
{There's a flame in her eyes. Why is that? Something must be motivating her to keep going.}  
  
"So. are you ready?" Sakura asked Athena.  
  
"Barely," Athena replied. "You don't know just how much energy I lost in that last attack."  
  
"I guess it works on both sides because I'm almost drained by being hit so much. but I still have two fighters to face, and I'm not giving up until I at least get to them."  
  
"What makes you so sure that you'll survive this match?"  
  
Sakura smiled as she got back into stance. "You'll see."  
  
Athena smiled as she got to her senses and got back into her fighting stance. She didn't have a match like this in a while. and although it was about to end, she was enjoying it. After a 10-second stand off to get themselves ready for the conclusion of round 1, Sakura ducked down to sweep Athena early. Although Athena couldn't jump in time, she parried it, pushing Sakura on her butt. Athena followed up with a hopping knee with the left leg and a full kick with the right, but Sakura laid down fully to avoid getting hit and rolled to her feet while turning around. Athena tried to turn around in time, but Sakura was too fast. She grabbed Athena by the back and climbed on, kicking off and propelling Athena face first onto the mat.  
  
Sakura used this time to charge up another Hadouken. The blue sphere appeared. but this time, Sakura continued charging. It got bigger. and electricity started to erupt from it. She waited until Athena got to her knees before she finally launched.  
  
"Shinku. HADOUKEN!!"  
  
The blue blast flew towards Athena. Just as it was about to connect, Athena sensed it. then threw her hands out as if to catch it. but her pink aura covered her body.  
  
"Super. Psychic. REFLECTOR!!" Athena yelled out as a huge Psycho barrier appeared in front of her, causing the Shinku Hadouken to bounce off it as if it was light hitting a mirror. It rocketed towards Sakura, who just realized that her own attack was thrown back at her.  
  
"YES!" Athena yelled out. "This is it! There is no way she can block that!"  
  
Athena's eyes were on Sakura's blast as it traveled out of the ring and exploded on the barrier. She didn't see Sakura anywhere near it... and she panicked.  
  
SHE DODGED IT?!? Athena screamed in her head.  
  
"Shouoken!!"  
  
Athena turned to her left. and saw Sakura nail her with her favorite special move. Athena's body flew. and thudded on the canvas, her long hair covering her face.  
  
"Now that's a comeback! I guess you got your own eyes to see what just happened, but Sakura's Shouoken just saved her from losing this match. Now then. 1. 2. 3.."  
  
As the announcer counted, Sakura walked over to her fallen friend/opponent and flashed a weak smile.  
  
"I. know you don't have. then energy to keep on fighting this battle." Sakura said to Athena. "It was fun, wasn't it?"  
  
Sakura heard Athena's deep, labored breaths as she replied with, "Yeah. it was. I guess I do pretty well. in a school fuku, huh?"  
  
Sakura nodded in agreement as the announcer finished his ten-count.  
  
"And there's the conclusion to a magnificent round 1! Sakura Kasugano beats Athena Asamiya to go on to the second round! Now, will the next fighter from C-6 step up to the plate to face this determined teenage girl?"  
  
"I will."  
  
End of Chapter 24 


	25. Kensou and Bao

25. Kensou and Bao  
  
Sakura K. turned her attention to a Japanese teenager wearing blue jeans with a blue and white designer shirt. He had short, light brown hair and eyes with white fighting gloves and sneakers on. He was walking over to the two girls with a smile on his face.  
  
"Are you, okay, Athena?" he asked as he got close enough.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Athena replied while still lying on her back. "I just hope I got enough power to use my healing power."  
  
"You're kidding, right?" Sakura asked in disbelief. "You can heal yourself, too?"  
  
"Yeah. but I didn't want to do it in the match," she explained. "It wouldn't be fair to you."  
  
"You got that right. I know a little healing, myself, but I can only do it on other people."  
  
Athena looked at her while brushing her hair out of her face. "You can't be serious, right, Sakura? You can actually do that?"  
  
Sakura nodded her head. "Yep! Just learned it two days ago from a teammate of mine."  
  
"Excuse me." the announcer broke in the conversation. "You still have to finish this match. Can you hurry up with your business so that we can continue, please?"  
  
"Sorry," all three responded. The boy turned Athena and asked, "You need help getting out?"  
  
Athena shook her head as she stood up, brushed her skirt off, and exited the ring, leaving Sakura to do battle with the teen standing right in front of her. She took a good look at him and sighed.  
  
{I can't sense anything very interesting about him. Maybe he's masking his energy.}  
  
"Now, ladies and gentlemen! Round 2 has Sakura Kasugano taking on Sie Kensou. Now, fighters. Are you ready?"  
  
Both got into stance to signal the fight start.  
  
"FIGHT!!"  
  
{His name's Kensou.} Sakura thought to herself. {That's the one Athena was talking about the other day. He doesn't have any Psycho Powers anymore. but he must be able to use his fists well.}  
  
"Okay, Sakura. I know that you took a huge beating from Athena, so I'll try to make this quick on both of us," Kensou commented.  
  
"All because I got whipped doesn't mean I'll be easy to beat."  
  
"Sakura. your vitality and energy is dangerously low," Kensou reminded her. "If you want to make it hard on yourself, then fine, but don't come crying to me about it later."  
  
"You know, I think I've heard enough out of you." Sakura muttered. "Let's go."  
  
Kensou shrugged then dashed in with a strong punch to the face that Sakura evaded. He immediately followed using a rolling sobat-type kick, catching Sakura in the head and sending her reeling.  
  
"Dah, dah, tyaah!!"  
  
Sakura tried to recover, but Kensou didn't let her as he performed three rising spinning kicks into the air, taking Sakura with him. The last kick sent her flying to the other side of the arena where she landed on her back.  
  
"Kensou opens up with his SenShippo special move, already knocking Sakura on her back and after a few moments, she's back on her feet. How long can she keep going?"  
  
Sakura tried out her Shouoken on Kensou, but he easily blocked. and he proved that he wasn't playing around as he charged up a big move on her decent.  
  
"Now the finish! Shin Ryu Sei Ou Rekkyaku!!"  
  
Sakura couldn't block in time as Kensou exploded with a SenShippo, then going up with two long bursts of kicking combinations, finally ending 21 hits later, allowing Sakura to drop to the ground.  
  
"Kensou immediately punished Sakura with his Shin Ryu Sei Ou Rekkyaku super move from the start of the round. She's down, so here's the count. 1."  
  
"I'm sorry. I wanted to enjoy this fight, but you were just too tired."  
  
Kensou let the announcer finish counting her out. and just as he got to 9, Sakura tried to get up. but she just didn't have it in her. She collapsed. and Kensou heard the announcer let everyone know what just happened.  
  
"Okay. Sie Kensou just let loose and won the second round over Sakura with no problem whatsoever. The series is now tied at one win apiece, so can we get the next fighter on the field?"  
  
A moment passed before another fighter got onto the field. As soon as he saw who it was a smile crossed Kensou's face.  
  
"Looks like I got a challenge ahead of me."  
  
The fighter was Darrell Markis, who immediately went over to see how his friend was holding out.  
  
"Hey, Sakura. You okay? He beat you pretty quickly."  
  
Sakura moaned in his ear as she spoke up. "I. was tired. I guess I couldn't do much for you here."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'll handle him with everything I got. Hinata!!"  
  
Over on the warm-up bench, Hinata lifted her gaze up to Darrell and asked, "What's up?"  
  
"Can you do me a favor and get Sakura over there out of the way?"  
  
Hinata nodded and as she made her way to the ring to help her friend, Darrell got up and into his fighting position across from Kensou.  
  
"I can see that you aren't one to be taken lightly," Darrell said while stretching his legs out. "You don't need to worry about anything while fighting me. I'll take you on full strength."  
  
Kensou smiled. "That's how I like it! Let's go, then!"  
  
"I guess I don't need to give an introduction for this bout. Round 3 has Darrell Markis vs. Sie Kensou. Ready? FIGHT!  
  
"Since you ended Sakura's match quickly, I'll end yours just as quick."  
  
"Don't go counting your chickens before they hatch," Kensou taunted. "You have no idea what I got in store for you."  
  
Darrell grinned as he did something completely new. He swung his arms in a smooth, circling motion in front of him, his red-orange aura appearing right in front of him. He then put it in a 'chamber' position at his sides. then shot the left arm out.  
  
"Shakunetsuken." he yelled as both fists went into flames, but the left flame shot out in a line. Darrell then pulled his left back while grabbing the energy flame rod with the right.  
  
"SWORD!!" he finished as he test swung it in the air before holding it down to his side. Kensou was pretty surprised by the kid's sword move.  
  
"I've just been working on this. for a while, now," Darrell announced as he got ready. "I've got a longer reach now. so don't think you'll be playing keep away from me."  
  
{I can only hold this thing for a minute and a half before it dwindles. I wish it was like my real Shakunetsuken. 15 minutes of pure slashing.}  
  
"Okay, let's see what you got!" Darrell yelled as he ran forward, slashing at Kensou's chest. His opponent backed away as he changed his tactics and spun along the ground, nailing Kensou as he landed from his back dash. Kensou recovered and tried to knock the sword out of Darrell's hands, but Darrell blocked it with the sword like an expert, causing Kensou's glove to catch on fire. He immediately withdrew, leaving himself open to Darrell's spinning head slashes.  
  
Kensou groaned as he was sent to the right, reeling. Darrell managed to sidestep Kensou's recovery punch and made him pay with a hard slash to the back.  
  
"Kensou's trying, but trying isn't doing. He's getting murdered by Darrell's new technique, the Shakunetsuken Sword."  
  
Darrell anticipated Kensou's next wake-up move and dove backwards, then thrusted his sword into his body ala Xianghua from Soul Calibur, making his opponent fly back to the ground. Darrell smiled at his handiwork.  
  
"Kensou. I know I've just made this move up. but your defense. AND offence is terrible against me. You're just talking shit!"  
  
Kensou didn't reply as he got to his feet again. He saw Darrell attempting another slash and dodged it, retaliating with a fist to the side of Darrell's face. He was expecting Darrell to reel from the move, but he was surprised to see Darrell roll with the attack and return with a roundhouse kick to his back.  
  
"YOU!!" Kensou yelled as he rushed toward his opponent, ready to attack when he saw Darrell perform a high-aimed slash. Kensou ducked low and did his SenShippo special move again. This time, he hit cleanly, kicking Darrell away. and making him drop his sword. As soon as it hit the arena floor, it fizzled out.  
  
"Alright!" Kensou congratulated himself as he got back into stance, eyeing his opponent. "That takes care of your new technique. Now, let's see how you fare, knuckle to knuckle."  
  
Darrell got up, just realizing that he lost his sword.  
  
{Crap. I dropped the sword. Oh, well. I guess I can go basic on this guy now. The swordplay was getting a tad old.}  
  
Darrell dashed in and Kensou followed suit. When in range, Darrell fired a swift jab that Kensou swatted away. Kensou followed with a right hook that was ducked and returned with a Shakunetsuken Upper. Kensou jumped backward to avoid being nailed and came back with a short Ryu Enda, totally catching his opponent off guard and sending him reeling. Kensou used that time to charge up to a very familiar move.  
  
"Shin Ryu Sei Ou Rekkyaku!"  
  
Darrell saw him coming. and decided to pick him off.  
  
"Rekka. NAKKURA!!"  
  
The two performed their moves, punching and kicking at each other. There was no defense in the matter as everyone in the stands who was watching their fight from the door paid even more attention to it. or as much as they could keep up with it. Both finished their super combos. but Kensou ducked the Shakunetsuken Straight and went into his latter combination kick, knocking his opponent back again.  
  
Darrell managed to roll to his feet, but as soon as he got up, Kensou was right in front of him to grab his arms. then knee him in the stomach a couple of times before rolling backwards, flipping Darrell over. Once again, Darrell rolled to his feet, just to be met in the face with another strong fist from Kensou. but he wanted to eat it. Darrell rolled with the punch, catching Kensou off guard.  
  
"Furi-sutairu. Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku!!" Darrell yelled out as he performed the two initial spinning roundhouse kicks, then the long Hurricane Kick. but instead of just doing the traditional Tatsumaki, Darrell performed mid- air axe, side, and heel kicks, ending with a strong spinning kick that nailed Kensou square in the mouth.  
  
As Darrell's opponent fell to the ground, the announcer decided to brief it.  
  
"In a blaze of attacks, Darrell emerges with the advantage with a Furi- sutairu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku taking Kensou down. 1."  
  
Darrell shook his head a bit then put his hands on his hips while trying to breathe deeply.  
  
{Kensou is pretty good. when he fights his way. If I could tweak my sword attack a bit, he wouldn't touch me.}  
  
After 7 counts, Kensou got to his feet, hands on his knees. He's stronger than I am. There's got to be a way to take him out... I got an idea.  
  
Kensou got back into stance and Darrell followed. Neither shared words. They just wanted to end this fast and get it over with. After a few seconds, Darrell hopped into the air with a move he hadn't used in a while.  
  
"Senpukyaku!!"  
  
Kensou grinned, for this was the break he was looking for. He ducked down.  
  
"Ryu Enda!" he yelled out as he pummeled Darrell with wildlike blows and knocked him into the air. As Darrell flipped in mid-air to recover, Kensou charged up once again.  
  
"Shin Ryu."  
  
"You using that move again?" Darrell asked while going defensive, sure that Kensou would use that same combination attack on him. He was wrong.  
  
"TEN BU KYAKU!!" Kensou roared, going low first. then the rest basically resembled what his other super move was. After about 7 seconds, Kensou finally finished his move. Darrell was down, breathing through his mouth and his body bruised.  
  
"How's that for a trick move?" Kensou asked as his opponent struggled to get up. Darrell shook his head while sitting up, his vision starting to blur in and out.  
  
{Crap. His moves are getting to me. I got to end this quickly, or else we're in trouble.}  
  
As Darrell stood up, Kensou saw the orange aura coming up. and knew what was coming next.  
  
"It's your signature move, isn't it? I can tell. I've been studying you. You won't be able to nail that on me, Darrell!"  
  
"Oh, is that so?" Darrell asked with a smile on his face. "Who said that I was going for that Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"This one goes a lot farther back. SHAKUNETSUKEN!!!"  
  
With that, Darrell's fist erupted into flames, just like they always did. Kensou braced himself.  
  
He must have known that the move was too slow. He couldn't nail it on me. so he used his special move. He still can't get to me.  
  
Kensou got himself on the defensive as Darrell dashed in. but instead of using his fists to hit his opponent, Darrell turned around and nailed Kensou in the temple. that's right. the temple with a quick Senpukyaku. Kensou immediately dropped his defense as his vision blurred. but Darrell wasn't done. He added a roundhouse kick with his left foot then a flaming uppercut. then super canceled.  
  
"Rekka. NAKKURA!!!"  
  
Kensou's cry of pain could be heard all throughout the arena as Darrell nailed him with every flaming blow in his disposal, ending with the Shakunetsuken Straight. This time, Kensou hit the edge of the arena by the blow. and didn't seem to get back up from it.  
  
"That's what you get for trying to anticipate me." Darrell said as he turned off his Shakunetsuken flames and listened to the announcer count for the final time in the round.  
  
"That's it for round 3! Darrell just beat Kensou with his Raging Knuckle, stemming from a Senpukyaku combination and is moving his team one step closer to a 2-0 listing. Now, may the last fighter on the opposing team step up?"  
  
Darrell stared at the other end of the ring, waiting for his next opponent. and when he saw who it was, he jaw dropped. Immediately he spun around to the announcer and protested.  
  
"NO WAY!! This has to be a violation of the age requirements. This kid is WAY too young to be in this tournament!"  
  
"What are you talking about?" was the announcer's response. "Bao is 12 years old. That's the minimum requirement for this tournament."  
  
Darrell just shook his head as he looked at the short boy in front of him. He had an orange outfit on with a cap and sneakers. and his height barely came up to Darrell's upper chest. He looked so innocent as he got into position and looked up to Darrell.  
  
{I really don't believe this. Either he's insanely strong. or he's asking to get his ass whipped.}  
  
"Round 4 is starting now! Darrell vs. Bao. Are you ready? FIGHT!!"  
  
"Well, then. I guess I can't do anything about this." Darrell submitted, but he didn't go into stance. He squatted down to look at Bao at his height level. "But before we get started. I just want to ask. did you have any fighting experience, Bao? Once we start, I can't guarantee going easy on you."  
  
Bao nodded a 'yes'. "It's okay. I get that a lot. I'm just looking for a place to fine-tune my abilities. I saw the entire match between you and my friend Kensou. and I can't wait for this. Don't go easy on me. I won't learn much if you did."  
  
Darrell actually smiled while jumping up into his fighting stance. "Okay, kid. You got a deal! Let's go!"  
  
{I know that I said that I wouldn't go easy. but just this once, I won't use my Shakunetsu attacks. Let's see what I can do with the basics. hey! Where did he go?}  
  
In a flash, Bao disappeared from Darrell's sight. He couldn't track him, even though he had his eyes on the kid the whole time. He looked to his left to see if he was there. He wasn't. Behind him? No. The right! No?  
  
"Bao.?" he asked. then felt something he didn't like. A large source of Psycho energy. from above him.  
  
"Psycho Ball Crash!!"  
  
"What the.!?" Darrell gasped as he looked up... only to be face to face with Bao. who was covered with Psycho energy. He collided into Darrell like Athena did with her Phoenix Arrow, but it was more powerful. A lot more powerful. Darrell was sent flying across the ring, landing in a skid before stopping. He stayed down for a second, getting his thoughts straight then got up to his feet, still in stance. Bao was right in front of him, about to knee him, but Darrell blocked. He countered with a sweep kick, but once again, Bao warped.  
  
{Not again!}  
  
Darrell spun around, to meet Bao's Psycho Ball Attack in his face. He reeled from it, not expecting it to be so strong.  
  
"Psycho Ball. DX!!"  
  
Without thinking, Darrell looked up to see what Bao was doing now. and when he did, he couldn't block. Bao threw a small, very slow verion of the Psycho Ball, but when Darrell laid eyes on it, it sped up and exploded in his face. Darrell was once again blasted across the ring. but this time, his energy was just about depleted. The DX move took ALL his vitality. Bao looked on as his opponent fell down a couple of yards away from him and stayed down.  
  
"Wow! The little wonder just knocked Darrell senseless in two big blows. Age doesn't seem to matter to this kid! He comes and kicks butt! Now then. 1."  
  
Bao smiled at his performance. "I know that Kensou weakened him for me. but that was still pretty cool. He couldn't even touch me! I must be getting better."  
  
At 8 Darrell was just getting to his feet. but his fatigue was apparent. Bao left two huge bruises on his body, which was shown through the openings in his clothes. He was breathing very hard through his mouth as he stood on failing legs, his arms at his sides and out of energy.  
  
{I. can't believe that. he's that strong. Darrell thought through his clotted mind. Maybe. I should have. gone. all out.}  
  
And with that, his eyes closed. and fell back down where he came, unconscious.  
  
"That's it, folks! Darrell's just passed out on us, so this round goes to Bao!"  
  
Bao smiled as the crowd cheered for him just as the announcer made his next announcement.  
  
"Okay, may the next fighter from C-8 come into the ring?"  
  
Shortly after, Hinata Wakaba came back into the ring, this time ready to fight. Both fighters got into position to fight it out as the announcer started their match up.  
  
"Round 4! Hinata vs. Bao. Ready? FIGHT!!"  
  
"Okay, Bao," Hinata said. "I'm not going to go easy, unlike Darrell did. He wasn't expecting you to be so strong.. But I do, so you can expect to earn this one."  
  
Bao's smile remained intact on his face as he answered with, "Like I said before, I don't want you to go easy on me. I'm looking forward to this."  
  
Hinata nodded then waited for Bao to make the first move.  
  
{I'll wait for him to use his Psycho Attacks, then I'll counter. That's all he has running for him, so I basically got this in the bag.}  
  
"Here I come, then!" Bao yelled out as he charged up, his Psycho aura around his body. He raised both hands infront of him, a small Psycho Ball appearing.  
  
"Psycho Ball. MAX!!!" He yelled out as he launched his energy at the waiting Hinata. The blast immediately quadrupled in size and turned a light blue color, totally catching Hinata off-guard.  
  
{I can't block that!}  
  
Hinata rolled to the right, letting the Psycho Ball explode on the ring barrier. She got up and decided to let Bao know some things about hand-to- hand fighting.  
  
"Rengakiken!" she called as she dashed forward to deliver her speed barrage, but before she could even get to him, Bao teleported again. Hinata sensed him coming behind her and ditched to the side, avoiding a punch to the head. Hinata countered with a kick to the back to Bao's head, resulting in him falling face-first into the pavement, losing his cap in the process. Suddenly, Hinata was rethinking her 'not-going-easy' promise.  
  
Oh, man! I didn't mean to do that so hard!  
  
Hinata went over to Bao, who was just pushing himself off the canvas, to console him.  
  
"You okay? I really didn't mean to do that. It was a reflex."  
  
Bao didn't respond as he turned around to Hinata. and snuck her.  
  
"Psycho Ball Crash!"  
  
Hinata gasped as Bao performed his special move straight in her face, making her fall back.  
  
{That kid! I got to stop acting like Darrell did. That's how he lost. I've got to worry about myself, or else I'll end up jacked up like he was.}  
  
Hinata braced herself, a blue-green aura covering her body. She waited a bit for Bao to descend before using her stored special move.  
  
"Kikou Shoueti!"  
  
She unleashed her flower projectile attack on Bao, but he was ready.  
  
"Psycho Ball Attack. Reflect!!"  
  
Bao used his aura to redirect the Kikou Shoueti. right back at Hinata. She ate all the hits of her own special move before being hit to the ground. She groaned while holding her stomach a bit from the pain.  
  
"Crap!" she said out loud. "He can reflect any energy attacks. but that isn't saying much in my case. I'm better with my fists."  
  
Bao finished his reflect move and instantly went to another move. He charged up.  
  
"Psycho Ball Attack. DX!!!"  
  
Hinata sensed Bao's energy as he threw his cannonball straight to her head.  
  
{That's the same move that he used to K.O. Darrell. I've got something for you.}  
  
"Eat this one!" Hinata yelled out as she got ready, her right foot with a trail of fire on it.  
  
"Fire Senpukyaku!!!"  
  
Hinata performed her own version of Ryu's Shinku Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, hitting Bao out his super move and burning him 5 times before kicking him away. This time, she didn't show any compassion for the younger fighter as he stayed down from her burning vigor attack, the announcer counting him out. At the count of 5, Hinata started to have a thought.  
  
{Weird. Normally, most people would be up by now, even if they were nailed by super moves. Maybe. it has to do with those attacks he keeps using. It takes up a lot of his energy to perform those moves. so. right now. he's already on his last legs, even though we just started.}  
  
Bao got up fully at 8, shaking the dizziness out of his head. He looked up to the high school student in front of her and observed her.  
  
{She has a lot more vitality than I have. and my moves are taking a lot out of me. I can't keep this up. and I don't have enough for the Psycho Ball SP. but I don't want to give up. I guess I need to try out this new move Athena taught me. It could knock us both out, but I got to at least get her out.}  
  
Hinata was about to charge in to finish up when Bao concentrated, his aura surrounding him. She stopped on a dime to see what he was doing.  
  
{What the.? His energy. is increasing, but his vitality is decreasing. What's he doing??}  
  
She got her answer.  
  
"Psycho. Desperation!"  
  
Bao's aura immediately shot outwards, nailing an unsuspecting Hinata. She didn't go into hit stun, though. She just stood there, paralyzed, looking at Bao as he raised his left hand up, his head looking down to the canvas.  
  
{Oh, man. this isn't good.}  
  
Bao held up his hand for a quick second, clenching it into a fist, then swung it across his body, as if to punch someone right in front of him. Hinata just stared at him for a bit. then her left arm rose. without her doing it herself.  
  
"Hey! What the-!"  
  
Hinata was cut off by her own fist as it struck her hard on the face. Her head was forced to the right as Bao performed an uppercut. and Hinata followed suit. on herself. She reeled backwards, trying to keep her fists down, but she didn't have any control over her body. Bao owned her.  
  
"Bao pulls out his desperation move. and it seems that he's controlling Hinata's body. Whatever he does, she does also on herself, and she can't guard her own attacks. It seems as if Bao's got this one won."  
  
{Thanks for the support, announcer.} Hinata muttered in her head as she decked herself again, causing her lip to bleed. Bao still threw random attacks and Hinata couldn't do anything but follow his command. The move continued for another minute, but it was a long minute to Hinata.  
  
{There. has to be a way to get through this move. I got to think.}  
  
She was standing on weak legs, breathing hard and staring through dazed eyes at Bao, who did seem to be tiring from his Psycho Desperation move. He threw a right hook and Hinata blasted herself, making her fall to her hands and knees. She shook her head, staring at the white canvas. that started to fizzle in and out of view.  
  
{I'm. passing out. Come on. Hinata.}  
  
She looked up to see Bao and saw something interesting. He was sweating and breathing just as hard as she was. His hands were on his knees, the Psycho aura dwindling.  
  
{Hey. Bao's weakening. Does this mean.?}  
  
Hinata forced her battered body to stand up. something that she couldn't do under Bao's Psycho Desperation attack. and she succeeded. At first she just stood there, delirious. then she got her senses up. Without wasting time, she ran forward, catching him off guard.  
  
"Hisshou!!"  
  
The little Psycho Soldier was nailed with 10 fast Rengakiken punched, followed with the flaming Shouyouken, knocking him back in a blaze to the ring floor. Hinata landed and rested her body on the ropes as the announcer recapped what just happened.  
  
"After about 2 minutes of being under Bao's control, Hinata wakes up and gets her opponent down with her signature move, the Hisshou Rengakiken! Will Bao get back up? Let's see for ourselves. 1. 2. 3."  
  
"Hinata!!"  
  
The teenage fighter moved her glance to Sakura S., who came back from her search for a good match and saw her in action. She had a smile on her face. causing Hinata to do the same.  
  
"Looks like you win this for us again, huh?" Sakura said.  
  
"Yeah. but this one wasn't easy. He's just a kid, but he's pretty strong."  
  
Hinata looked back at Bao, who didn't move from his position. He was out cold.  
  
"That's it for this match! Team C-8 wins again to move up 2-0 while C-6 goes to 1-1. Thanks for watching this bout and can we get the next two teams here? This one is C-23: Rungo, Tracey, Sofia, and Neru vs. C-31: Rock, Terry, Andy, And Mai."  
  
Hinata hopped out of the ring and met up with Sakura's twin.  
  
"Come on. Let's get these two to the hotel," Sakura S. said while pointing to her sister and friend, who were on the bench.  
  
Hinata smiled again. "Let's."  
  
End of Chapter 25 


	26. Thicker than the Sword

26. Thicker than the Sword  
  
NEXT DAY.  
  
"Sunrise Kiss!!"  
  
Sakura S. blocked Ellis's dagger uppercut, which was sparkling with blue energy, then as Ellis got off the ground, she performed a flip kick, also covered in energy. Sakura also blocked that and the following attack, which had Ellis dive down with her daggers, landing her right in Sakura's face. She then reered back. and just as she delivered her final attack, Sakura Ashura Warped behind her.  
  
{That's HORRIBLE recovery time, Ellis!} Sakura thought as she charged up a blue ball of electrical energy.  
  
"Shinku HADOUKEN!!" she roared as she unleashed her blast at point blank range on Ellis's back. She cried out as she was thrown to the ground by Sakura's Hadouken. By the time Ellis hit the ground, she was instantly K.O.'ed. Sakura Satsu got out of her firing pose and observed her black short-sleeved shirt and pants, which were torn up by Ellis's dirks. She had scratches all on her arms from blocking Ellis's attacks.  
  
{I never had to fight anyone like her. Her speed was good, too, but I got her out within 5 minutes.}  
  
"Ellis is out of commission, everyone!" the female announcer called. "Round 1 goes to Sakura Satsu!"  
  
{Looks as if they don't count anymore is it isn't necessary.}  
  
As she got back into position for the next fighter, Sakura K. and Hinata, as well as a portion of the crowd, were cheering her on. Darrell, on the other hand, had something else on his mind.  
  
{This is the third match for us. Next is Morrigan's team. which is really just her and her sister. I want to fight her. This one's personal.}  
  
He looked up to the current fighter on both teams and saw Sakura S. taking on Kayin Amoh. He was like the Scottish-Japanese version of Ken. He had on a black undershirt which was covered with a gray jacket and blonde hair. He also had gray pants and black boots. and in his right hand was a long sword that he named Excalibur. The announcer already started the match and Sakura went offensive with a jump kick to Kayin's head.  
  
"Deadly Raise!!" Kayin yelled while jumping in a 45 degree angle while spinning, his sword aimed upwards. He nailed Sakura in the leg, sending her straight to the ground in pain. She immediately looked at her pants, which had a long slash through them now. and was bleeding. She looked up to see Kayin wave his finger at her, as if she did something naughty. and she basically did.  
  
"You shouldn't think that I'd let you do that without countering," he tipped off. "I'll always pick you off."  
  
{Okay. I should have known better than that. Let's go to this, then.}  
  
Sakura charged up, a small blue energy ball in her hands.  
  
"Hadouken!"  
  
"Sonic Slash!"  
  
As Sakura S. fired, Kayin slashed his sword downwards, creating a yellow cloud of energy that canceled the Hadouken out in a small explosion. Sakura used the diversion to sidestep.  
  
"Shouoken!!" she yelled as she hit Kayin several times before going into the air. or really, Kayin's sword. Kayin blocked the whole move, and countered her as she came down with an overhead arc slit kick, smacking her on her back on the canvas.  
  
"That's my Shoulder Crush," Kayin announced. "I hope you liked that."  
  
Sakura growled a bit as she got back up, ready to start up again. She dashed in to Kayin, but he was waiting. He ducked down, his sword in front of him.  
  
"Deadly Raise!!"  
  
Sakura screeched to a halt as Kayin dashed in and blocked his sword attack which ended with the uppercut move he used on her before.  
  
"Gotcha! Hadouken!"  
  
Sakura blasted Kayin out of the air with her blue blast of energy. Kayin fell to the ground and rolled to the side to avoid Sakura's follow-up attack. He got up and came with a hard slash to Sakura's shoulder. She yelped as she jumped back to avoid it and countered with a roundhouse kick. Kayin barely guarded it then dashed back in and grabbed Sakura by the collar. He flipped backwards, taking Sakura with him, and used his foot to launch her into the air. He then got to his feet and followed in pursuit, meeting his opponent in the air and using a powerful flip kick that was covered with yellow energy. Sakura flew to the ground and waited a few seconds to try to get back up. By that time, Kayin was right above her and took advantage by bringing his sword straight down to nail her in the stomach.  
  
"Whoa!" Sakura yelled out as she reacted by using her hands to grab the blade of his sword and pushed it aside while simultaneously getting up. Kayin was thrown off balance, leaving himself open to Sakura's twin jab combo, then a hard punch to the head, then a Shouoken. Kayin went airborne then fell on his back. Sakura kept her distance as he rolled backwards to his feet, gathering himself.  
  
"Okay. you're good, kid," Kayin praised while getting ready. "But let's see how you handle this."  
  
Sakura went defensive as she saw Kayin's body light up with yellow sparkles.  
  
{His energy is going up. He must be going for a super move. I'd better be careful. That's sword could really hurt.}  
  
Just as Sakura S. ended her thought, Kayin rushed forward, yelling the name of the move he was using.  
  
"Hell's Gate!!!"  
  
Sakura guarded his initial upward slash, causing Kayin to go up into the air solo. He immediately ended his super, no longer glowing, but Sakura was glowing..  
  
"Shinku. HADOUKEN!!"  
  
Sakura was charging up her blast the whole time and nailed Kayin on his descent, blowing him back a few feet to the ground. Sakura S. put her hands down and nursed the slashes that he gave her on her arm and leg as the announcer started her count.  
  
"Sakura's going pretty well without tapping into her dark moves," Darrell thought to himself. "But Kayin's up. and he looks like he has something big for her."  
  
Darrell was right. Kayin was glowing yellow again at 6, his blonde hair covering his face a bit in a devilish way. Sakura looked on as she saw him charge up for another Hell's Gate, and was about to go defensive, but she had a better idea. She charged up, a large, blue ball of energy coming her hands.  
  
"Shinku."  
  
"Hell's."  
  
Sakura was done charging before Kayin and launched.  
  
"HADOUKEN!!"  
  
She saw her huge blast travel to where Kayin was, expecting her move to finish him off. but something was wrong. Kayin didn't cancel his move.  
  
"INFERNO!!!"  
  
"What!?"  
  
Kayin blasted right through Sakura's Shinku Hadouken with a dashing Deadly Raise startup. Sakura couldn't block as Kayin made contact. then, instead of doing the uppercut, he gave her a knee, then a punch with the handle of sword, then a roundhouse kick, then a slash across the chest, then a downward slash, a kick to the head, another roundhouse, another hard slash across the crest, then a strong Shoulder Crush, and finally the end of the Deadly Raise, covered in yellow stars.. Sakura was launched back FAR, landing on the other side of the ring with a thunderous crash.  
  
The Satsu Sakura was butchered by Kayin's super move; four huge slashes were left across her torso, blood all over her. Of course, her breathing was labored. and her clothes were shredded. which wasn't a good thing to have happen with a stadium full in capacity. Kayin walked over to her with a smile on his face.  
  
"That's should do it," he announced. "I highly doubt you'll be able to get back up after that. You better rest up for your next match, because you'll only farther hurt yourself if you get back up."  
  
"That's. just sickening." Hinata mumbled while looking at the mess Sakura Satsu was.  
  
"Come on, sis." Sakura K. encouraged in a whisper. "You can get back up after that. I know you can."  
  
"7. 8. 9." The announcer was almost done but Sakura's body moved to flip itself over so that she was on her hands and knees.  
  
"Damn." she mumbled before coughing a few times as she looked at the floor that was stained with her blood. and she was having trouble even seeing that. She was losing consciousness. very slowly.  
  
{I. got to keep going. His desperation move. was way too damaging. I'll beat him, though.}  
  
Kayin looked on with awe at the teenage girl as she stood up, holding her chest with her left arm, letting her right arm hang at her side. He could see the mixture of determination and weakness in her eyes, and shook his head.  
  
"I see. You want to go on until either of us is defeated. Well, if that's the case, then I'll end this fast."  
  
Sakura's vision was fading, but she managed to see Kayin's body glow again.  
  
{He's got to be using that Hell's Inferno move again. I got to think of something. Wait, I got it!}  
  
Sakura got into a familiar stance as Kayin charged up, but he was faster on the charge.  
  
"Hell's Gate!!!"  
  
{Wait, it's the other one. That's even better.}  
  
She waited for Kayin to get close. then used the Ashura Warp as soon as he went up. She finished right behind his landing spot and charged up.  
  
"Midare. ZAKURA!!"  
  
Kayin was welcomed to earth by Sakura's huge combo, ending with the Shouoken, which basically did it for him. As Sakura landed, she kneeled in pain, her stomach wound becoming severe.  
  
"She can't keep going like this," Darrell yelled out. "If Kayin survived that move, she's got to let one of us fight. It isn't that serious!"  
  
"I know. but it's up to her if she wants to exit the match or not." her sister commented.  
  
Darrell twitched at that comment. "But she has the decency to know when to get medical attention, right?"  
  
"Just watch. She just won the round, and next is Eiji Shinjo. We saw him fight Ryu a few days ago."  
  
"Shinjo.?"  
  
Darrell looked up to see Sakura S. in position once again. As Sakura K. predicted, Eiji, the Japanese swordsman, was her next, and last opponent, and he looked just as skilled as Kayin. He had on a white headband very much like both Sakura's with a red, white, and black shirt with black jeans. He had wild, brown hair and just like Kayin, had a long sword in his right hand.  
  
"Round 3 has Sakura Satsu vs. Eiji Shinjo. Ready?"  
  
{That's the same last name as that guy named Sho.} Darrell thought.  
  
"Wait."  
  
Both the announcer and Eiji looked at the Satsu schoolgirl, who was kneeling, trying to support her wound.  
  
"I. can't continue like this," she said while looking up to the announcer. "I'll have to forfeit this round and get something for this gash. in my stomach."  
  
The announcer started to question Sakura's decision, but then again, everyone has a limit. She nodded then made the announcement.  
  
"Okay, then. Sakura Satsu forfeits the third round, leaving Eiji to win by default."  
  
Sakura looked up to the Japanese swordsman and gave a feeble smile.  
  
"Sorry. I wish I could fight you. but I guess I can't."  
  
Eiji nodded. "I understand."  
  
"Then again. maybe I will fight you."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
Sakura just widened her smile while going out of the ring and walked over to her twin sis.  
  
"You okay?" she asked her darker twin. "I'm surprised you actually won with that messed up stomach."  
  
"I'll be fine. Listen, why don't you go next while I get treated? I. sort of made a promise to Eiji that I'd fight him. You're me, so."  
  
At first, Sakura Kasugano stared at Sakura Satsu, trying to get the message. After a few seconds, she nodded in agreement and answered  
  
"I get it. Okay, I'll fight Eiji. Hinata won way too many matches for us, anyway."  
  
"Don't make me laugh, Sakura," Hinata's voice rang out from their right.  
  
The lighter twin ignored her friend's comment and turned her attention back to her Satsu twin.  
  
"You need help getting to the medics?"  
  
"Don't worry. I'll go with her."  
  
Both Sakuras looked to see Darrell stand up and walk over to them.  
  
"You really don't need to." Sakura S. started before Darrell cut her off.  
  
"Trust me. You won't need me for this match. I want the next fight, however. to myself."  
  
"What?" both said simultaneously.  
  
"You heard me. The next battle. It's all mine."  
  
Sakura K. shook her head. "Just why would you want to."  
  
She stopped when Darrell gave her an icy glare.  
  
"It's personal, Sakura. If you knew who we were facing next tomorrow. then you'll understand."  
  
Sakura K. stared blankly at her boyfriend for a second before nodding.  
  
"Okay. Listen, I got to get in this ring. Make sure my sis is okay."  
  
"You got it," Darrell responded.  
  
The light Sakura got into the ring as Darrell and Sakura S. went off to see the medics. After about 5 seconds, however, Darrell stopped and smacked himself on the forehead.  
  
"Duh! How could I forget that!?"  
  
"Forget what?" the darker Sakura asked.  
  
"The healing move I got. I could use it on you and save you the trouble of going all the way to the paramedics. It won't fix your clothes, but it's better than those slashes."  
  
Sakura S. immediately smiled.  
  
"That sounds good. Now, let's see what you got."  
  
"Yeah, just hold on a second. I got to get ready."  
  
Darrell sighed heavily then raised his right fist out in front him. It lit up into flames and before Sakura could question it, he rammed it into his stomach.  
  
"What the?!" she yelped as Darrell kneeled from the pain of his own attack. His fist already stopped flaming as Sakura decided to ask what happened.  
  
"Okay. what was that for?"  
  
Darrell stood up and replied with, "I told you I had to get ready, Sakura."  
  
He raised an outstretched arm out aimed at Sakura S.'s slash wounds at her stomach. His aura appeared. but, to Sakura S.'s surprise, it was the golden type. It jumped off around her body. and after 10 seconds, her body was back to normal. for the exception of the clothes. Darrell sighed as he put his arm back down and let his aura fade.  
  
"Darrell. how did. you."  
  
"Hold on, Sakura. I bet your wondering how I can control the aura, huh?"  
  
Sakura nodded.  
  
"Well, let me tell you."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Rekkuzan!!"  
  
"Hadouken!!"  
  
Both energy attacks canceled the other out. Sakura K. and Eiji had been battling for a good minute and a half, testing the other's skills. Sakura was making sure she didn't do anything foolish, since she knew how devastating Eiji's sword could be. She jumped back from a hard slash and countered with a roundhouse kick to Eiji's right arm. It connected, almost making Eiji loose his grip on his sword, but he recovered and bent down to attack.  
  
"Hisshouzan!!" he roared as he dashed towards Sakura, his sword out in front of him.  
  
{It's like Kayin's Deadly Raise.}  
  
Sakura dodged, letting Eiji jump into the air with his uppercut and countered with a Shouoken to his back. He landed on the ground, but stayed down, triggering the announcer's count.  
  
{His moves. they're just like Kayin's,} Sakura thought while watching Eiji get up. {This shouldn't be much of a problem if I wait for him to use a move and counter it.}  
  
{She's expecting my moves.} Eiji pondered as he got up. {This won't be easy. but I got to try it.}  
  
Eiji got up at the count of 7 and Sakura got into a defensive stance. He used his sword to go into another Hisshouzan, something that Sakura immediately telegraphed and dodged again. As Eiji went up, Sakura charged up her energy.  
  
"Shinku.... HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
"NOW!!" Eiji yelled to himself as he made himself land as quickly as possible to avoid getting hit. He landed and automatically dashed towards Sakura, who was trying to recover.  
  
"Here I go! Muy. sou. KEN!!!"  
  
Eiji used his sword to nail Sakura into the air. He followed and landed 12 huge slashes along her body, the last sending her falling like a waited rock to the ground. A rock. that left a huge trail of blood on the canvas as it crashed on its back.  
  
"SAKURA!!!" Hinata called out. "Come on! Give this one up. He's too powerful with that sword for you to beat him."  
  
{No, Hinata. that's where you're wrong. His sword. is. his downfall.}  
  
Hinata watched big-eyed at Sakura K. slowly stood up, not bothering to cover up her wounds. Her clothes, like her sister's, were shredded, showing a lot more flesh and. other things. than it needed to, but she didn't notice. Eiji saw her determination and silently decided to end the match quickly.  
  
"This will finish it." he said quietly as red sparkles covered his body. He then yelled out his finishing move.  
  
"Hyakkumousuken!!!"  
  
He dashed straight as his target, who was barely looking at him and started to land his move to win the match. but Sakura dodged. at the very last moment.  
  
"WHAT!?" Eiji let out as he felt Sakura's sneaker spin him around, his body still propelling forwards. and he didn't stop until he hit the ring ropes. Correction. Until he was tangled in the ropes.  
  
Sakura gathered herself and slowly walked over to Eiji, who was defenseless. She got right next to him. stared at him. then said, "I hope you can forgive me if I do this wrong. This is the first time I ever used this move without having someone to hold you up. but this ring sure seemed to do the trick. Haru."  
  
Then the entire vicinity turned white, flashing back at times to see Sakura beat the crap out of the swordsman. Thirteen hits later, the Harugokusatsu ended with Sakura leaning over Eiji, who was now unconscious and just as battered as she was.  
  
"And. that's the end of that tale." she mumbled as she turned her attention to the ring announcer who was about to tell the crowd what just happened. Sakura cut her off.  
  
"Excuse me. but could you PLEASE end this match?? I got to get out of here."  
  
At first the ring announcer was slightly puzzled, but when she saw Sakura in her condition, she didn't turn her down.  
  
"Folks, Eiji is unable to continue fighting. Sakura Kasugano wins the match and C-8 goes up to 3-0. This rookie team is putting on quite a show!"  
  
"Hey, Sakura!!"  
  
Sakura K. turned around to see teammates come up to her. She smiled weakly as Darrell spoke up.  
  
"It looks like you need medical attention."  
  
"Whatever, Darrell." she mumbled. "Let's just go. I bet. there's a lot of perverts looking. at me right now."  
  
"What?" Darrell asked, dropping his gaze from Sakura's head to her butchered body. then he blushed. Of all the cuts through her clothes, the biggest one was showing her. panties.  
  
"Oh." he moaned before looking at her dark side. "Hey, Sakura S. Could you.?"  
  
The Satsu girl nodded quickly. "Yeah. Everyone hold on to one another. We're out of here!"  
  
As soon as everyone was in position, Sakura S. used her Ashura Warp to head right into their hotel room. There, Darrell healed Sakura K. and helped her change clothes. It was. weird, considering that Darrell never did that before or saw Sakura in her underwear without accidentally walking in, but she insisted. At the end of the day, Darrell couldn't shake the feeling that he experienced something more than he though he needed to.  
  
End of Chapter 26 


	27. Test of the Bond

27. A Test of the Bond  
  
NOTE: This chapter has some sexual themes and nudity. Just another warning  
  
NEXT DAY.  
  
{She looks a little like the woman that I saw in my dream. The one that wanted to take me from Sakura. She picked the wrong day to be on the same team as her sis, because I'm going to make sure. both of them know who they are messing with.}  
  
There was Darrell, in the ring once again. The announcer just started his team's fourth match against Lilith and Morrigan Aensland. This was the match he wanted to himself (and because of his declaration, Sakura S. went off to see more matches). Across from him was a young woman, around 19 years of age. She had big, purple eyes and hair to go along with her leather pants, boots and white shirt, which had a blue heart design on it. She had a smile on her face as she got ready to start.  
  
{You can't fool me, Lilith. You're just like your sister: a succubus. I know you're innocent. but I got to win this match fast so that I can beat Morrigan senseless.}  
  
"So, are you ready?" Lilith asked.  
  
Darrell nodded while getting into stance. He didn't say anything in return. Instead, he charged up and threw a Hadouken at Lilith. She jumped and returned with kick to his head. He immediately parried and returned with a Shakunetsuken Upper, knocking her to the ground. He started to follow up, but Lilith's wake-up move totally caught him off guard.  
  
"Shining Blade!!"  
  
Darrell gasped as Lilith rose up with what seemed to be a huge blade on her back. She struck him right in the stomach, sending him flying back to the canvas. He groaned as he eyed the scar that went through his shirt.  
  
{How did she do that?}  
  
"Soul Flash!!"  
  
Darrell looked up to see Lilith throw a white blast of energy towards him. He rolled out to way to avoid the blast.  
  
"Soul Flash!!"  
  
Another projectile came his way. This time, he got to his feet and threw a Hadouken to cancel it out. Darrell didn't wait for a third one as he dashed in and nailed Lilith in the head with a fist to the face. He was about to chain into another Shakunetsuken before Lilith summoned a blade out of the canvas floor to hit Darrell.  
  
"Whoa!" he yelped as he jumped backwards to avoid getting hit, but he left himself open.  
  
"Soul Spin!"  
  
Lilith struck Darrell three times while spinning. and the thing that really caught Darrell's attention was that Lilith had a pair of red bat wings while hitting him.  
  
{JUST LIKE MORRIGAN'S!!!}  
  
Those bat wings crept into his mind again, haunting him. The horror he went through. He didn't notice that his orange aura was around him as Lilith's bat wings hit him to the ground. He just got back up, eyeing Lilith with burning pupils. She started to get nervous.  
  
"Uh. why are you. looking at me like that?" she asked.  
  
Darrell didn't reply. He just raised his right fist, which instantly went into Shakunetsuken mode, and rushed towards her. Lilith fired another Soul Flash, but Darrell swatted it away and nailed Lilith in the stomach, making her fall to her knees in pain. He didn't know how he was acting. All he knew was that he kept picturing Morrigan. seducing him. frightening him.  
  
"Get. out. of MY HEAD!!!" he yelled as he nailed Lilith with the Rekka Nakkura. but this one wasn't just his normal, composed 18-hit super. He was in frenzy, fighting off his vision. Each blow made Lilith bleed severely, scorching her body. The entire audience was hushed as Darrell finally ended his rage with a Shakunetsuken to the head, knocking Lilith's now lifeless body to the ground. The announcer looked at Lilith, then made the announcement.  
  
"Well, ladies and gentlemen. there are no words to explain the brutality that Darrell just laid on Lilith. She's out cold. so the first round-"  
  
Instantly Darrell cut him off.  
  
"WHERE'S MORRIGAN!?!" he roared. There was no reply from him.  
  
"Well, well. You sure are anxious to meet me, now aren't you?"  
  
Darrell turned his attention to the woman from his dream, wearing the exact same outfit he saw her with before. His glare tightened as she got in the ring.  
  
"You." he said in a dark tone, letting his Shakunetsuken get bigger.  
  
"I guess you were waiting for this one, huh?" Morrigan asked while smiling.  
  
"Shut up and let's go," Darrell said coldly. "NO ONE messes with my mind and emotions and gets away with it! Hey!"  
  
He shot a look at the announcer, who jumped back in shock.  
  
"Start this match."  
  
"Okay. you got it. Round 2 has Darrell vs. Morrigan. Ready? Fight!"  
  
Darrell's orange aura immediately flared.  
  
"I'll show you!!" he yelled as he charged in and threw many punches in a blind rage, but just as he got close, Morrigan countered.  
  
"Shadow Blade!!"  
  
She knocked him down with her own Shining Blade, this one leaving a huge cut across his chest. Darrell hit the ground, but rolled to his feet.  
  
"Soul Fist!"  
  
Darrell dodged Morrigan's energy attack with ease.  
  
"Soul Fist!"  
  
Darrell sidestepped the second attack and went back in with a Shakunetsuken Straight. Bad move.  
  
"Shadow Blade!!"  
  
Morrigan's blade slashed Darrell's arm, extinguishing the flame and causing him to pull it back.  
  
"Crap!!" he yelped.  
  
"You shouldn't rush into a fight with someone like me," Morrigan said. "You have no idea who you're messing with."  
  
Darrell growled as he got ready again.  
  
"Soul Fist!"  
  
"This is getting old!" Darrell yelled out as he blocked it instead of dodging it.  
  
"Soul Fist!"  
  
"Hadouken!"  
  
Both fired their blasts, canceling one another. Darrell was expecting Morrigan to fire again, but she backed up, away from him.  
  
{What? All those shots must have tired her! This is my chance!}  
  
"Hadouken!!" he yelled as he fired his blast, but as soon as he fired, he ran forward, right behind it. Morrigan didn't suspect a thing. She used her wings to block the Hadouken. but not Darrell's kick at her legs.  
  
"Shakunetsuken Snake!!" Darrell yelled as he did a three hit combo with his fists, knocking Morrigan down. Surprisingly, she got up quickly. by just raising her body up using her energy... Darrell twitched at the sight of it.  
  
{She. really isn't human.}  
  
"Feisty one!" she said with a smirk on her face. "Looks like my old tactics won't work on you."  
  
Darrell didn't respond.  
  
{I can't rush into this. I had this discussion with Sakura a few nights ago. I got to concentrate.}  
  
"Okay. let's see how you handle this. Shakunetsuken."  
  
Darrell's fists started to flame up. then he shot the left out, letting the flame go into a rod.  
  
"SWORD!!" he finished as he grabbed the flaming rod with the right. Morrigan smiled at Darrell's sword move.  
  
"Looks like you aren't in this for the fun of it. You should relax more."  
  
Darrell was about to charge in when Morrigan's comment stopped him cold.  
  
{What. did she say??}  
  
He had a huge look of disbelief on his face. and Morrigan must have read his mind with her next comment.  
  
"Yeah. You're way too tense."  
  
"Well, you're the reason I'm tense!" Darrell shot back, gripping his energy sword tight. "The dream I had with you. just wasn't right! You know that! How could you defile me like that?!"  
  
Morrigan shook her head. "Listen. I guess you need a relaxer."  
  
Before Darrell knew what was happening, Morrigan dropped into the canvas floor. literally. He stared big-eyed at her.  
  
{What. is she doing??}  
  
Darrell stood on guard, waiting for what might be an attack. He looked around him. searching for Morrigan.  
  
"Behind you, darling."  
  
"WHAT??" Darrell yelped as he spun around, ready to slash Morrigan with his sword. He met air.  
  
"No. I really mean it." Morrigan's voice rang out. from behind him. Darrell turned to slash again, but Morrigan's wings held him tight by the shoulders. Darrell grunted as he squirmed his body, trying to break free, but Morrigan's smile signified that she got him. As her wings increased in size, eventually hiding them from everyone's view, Sakura K. started to get worried.  
  
"Darrell. was defiled.? Come on. You can beat her."  
  
Inside the wings of Morrigan, Darrell's sword attack dwindled.  
  
"Oh, no." he moaned, stopping his futile struggle and looking Morrigan in the eyes. She smiled.  
  
"That's better," she commented. "Now. that no one can see us, let's begin your cool down."  
  
Darrell didn't respond as Morrigan's body sparkled with green stars. and within an instant, her clothes disappeared, revealing her bra and panties. Darrell immediately blushed.  
  
"How's that?" Morrigan asked. "You feeling relaxed?"  
  
"W. what?" Darrell stuttered, trying not to look. "I."  
  
"Now, now." she responded, putting her right hand on his cheek. "You know that you can't resist. Go on. It's all yours."  
  
"Morr."  
  
"Here. I'll make it easier on you."  
  
Morrigan used her left hand to unstrap part of her bra, leaving it holding on by a thread. Darrell peaked at what she did. and when he saw it, he just stopped moving altogether and stared at her. She had a huge smile on her face.  
  
"This better?" she asked.  
  
Darrell was speechless.  
  
"But. b. but."  
  
Morrigan giggled at Darrell's reaction. "I can tell already that you like it, but you're too embarrassed to say it out loud. Maybe. this will help."  
  
Morrigan focused herself. and a wave of green energy shot out of her body and into Darrell's. He gasped as it absorbed itself into his body.  
  
"Now." Morrigan started as she let Darrell drop to his hands and knees, gasping for air, "that should be it. Now, what to do you think?"  
  
Darrell shook his head and looked up to her body. and muttered under his breath the two words that really meant something to her.  
  
"I like."  
  
Morrigan smiled. "Yes. I knew that would work. Now, go on and do it."  
  
Darrell didn't hesitate as he reached up to her bra. and grabbed it. He held on. then slowly removed it from Morrigan's body.  
  
"Yeah. that's it," Morrigan gasped. "No more acting shy, now are we?"  
  
Darrell tossed it to the ground and looked to her bare chest. He stood up. and turned his gaze to Morrigan's eyes. His eyes. were totally different. Instead of their normal dark brown color, both were green.  
  
"Your mine now, Darrell," Morrigan whispered. "I need a good, strong soul like you."  
  
"It's. my pleasure," he responded. "What. can I do for you?"  
  
"Well then." she purred, using her energy to remove the top of his shirt, "let's just see what you can do. but first, let's make this interesting. We're. going to do this. in front of your former girlfriend, Sakura. Then again. we're in public. I need to put on some of these clothes."  
  
Morrigan used her powers to open her wings up and put on her pants and bra. leaving her shirt off. As they revealed themselves to the crowd, which was growing restless from the lack of action, they immediately hushed at the sight. Everyone. except Sakura K. She was shocked to see Darrell hold Morrigan by her. breasts.  
  
"DARRELL!!!" she yelled out. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?"  
  
"Uh." the announcer mumbled. "What just happened?"  
  
Morrigan giggled. "Simple. He just submitted to me. He's no longer willing to hurt me. As a matter of fact, he's willing to do just the opposite!"  
  
"Okay. but Darrell has to formally say his withdrawal from the match for it to be legal."  
  
"That's no problem," Morrigan replied. "Go on, darling. Tell the nice man that you give up this silly fight."  
  
Sakura stared in horror as Darrell turned from Morrigan to the announcer. Since she was sitting right behind the announcer, she could clearly see that something wasn't right.  
  
{His eyes. They're not their normal color! She must be controlling him!!}  
  
"I." Darrell started his surrender before a voice shot out.  
  
"He's not in his right mind! He can't give up unless it's him talking!!"  
  
All three in the ring turned to Sakura K. at the ring apron.  
  
"Just what are you talking about?" the announcer asked.  
  
"Look at his eyes," Sakura instructed. "They are green: NOT his normal color. He's being controlled by her! I just know it!"  
  
"She's lying," Morrigan countered. "She's just jealous that he's with me now and not with her."  
  
"Darrell!" Sakura called, ignoring Morrigan's remark. "I know that you can remember me! Just try it!"  
  
Darrell stared at the girl outside the ring for a long while.  
  
She. looks familiar. Who is she?  
  
"Think," she continued. "I'm Sakura. Sakura Kasugano. We spent the last three months together with our friend and my sister. We fought side by side. and we're. boyfriend and girlfriend."  
  
"You?" he asked, confused.  
  
Sakura sighed. "Maybe. this might help."  
  
She focused herself as Darrell stared at her with his green eyes. She channeled her blue aura off her body... and it leapt onto Darrell's body. He gasped as the blue aura surrounded him. and changed to gold.  
  
"How's that? It's our special bond that you have with me. You. shared this with me."  
  
{This. is.}  
  
At that moment, Darrell's eyes changed back to brown. He dropped to his knees, putting a hand on his forehead while trying to get himself back together. After a while he opened his eyes, stared at his aura for a second. then looked at Sakura.  
  
"Thanks. Sakura." he said out loud before turning to a shocked Morrigan. "As for you. It's about time I took you out of commission. SHAKUNETSUKEN!!!"  
  
Morrigan jumped away as his fists caught on fire and growled. "I was so CLOSE!! How could you! I'm going to have to take you by force!"  
  
"Not likely!"  
  
Darrell rushed in with an attack. Morrigan tried to perform a Shadow Blade to knock him out of it, but he guarded it, letting her soar into the air solo. He waited. while charging.  
  
"Shakunetsu. Shinku. HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
He fired his flaming blast full force on Morrigan's bare back, making her fall face first to the ground.  
  
"Heh. how's that?" he asked. "I told you that I'll get you for messing with my mind. and that stunt just took the cake. I'm not going to go psycho, though. I'll just give you an old-fashioned beatdown if you get back up!"  
  
The announcer was counting past 6 now and Morrigan struggled to her feet, not using her energy anymore.  
  
"You shouldn't have used all that energy trying to seduce me, Morrigan," Darrell tipped. "Now you're tired and I'm full of vigor. You're finished!"  
  
"You." was the only thing that came out of her mouth before she collapsed on the ground, unconscious.  
  
"That's the end of another weird fight, everyone," the announcer yelled over his mic. "Darrell beats both Lilith and Morrigan and moves his team up another win! Will they go on, undefeated? We'll see tomorrow when they face Kyo Kusanagi, Shingo Yabuki, and Benimaru Nikaido!"  
  
Darrell sighed and after mumbling, "Abayo." slid out of the ring to Sakura K.'s direction. He gave her a solemn look as he spoke.  
  
"Sakura. I'm. so sorry about what just happened. I bet. you think I'm a real creep now."  
  
Sakura shook her head. "No way! I understand what happened. You weren't in your right mind. I know that you would never turn on me like that. You're forgiven."  
  
Darrell smiled as he gave her a quick hug, then said, "Come on. We got to find the others. What happened to Hinata, anyway?"  
  
"Don't worry about her," Sakura said. "She already went to find something to eat for us. You just worry about what I'm going to give you when we get back to the hotel room."  
  
Darrell backed away from her for a second. then smiled.  
  
"Sure. my little cherry blossom."  
  
Sakura stared at him for while, computing the new name Darrell used for her. When she finally did, she replied. "You better watch what you say, you chocolate bar. I'm older than you, remember?"  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
End of Chapter 27 


	28. First Loss

28. First Loss  
  
"That's the end of round 1. Hinata Wakaba beats Shingo Yabuki and will go on to face the next fighter on team C-1."  
  
Hinata stared at the fallen body of her opponent, Shingo. Her match was a bit longer than usual, but she still managed to win with no problem. A smile eventually crossed her face.  
  
"This is great! By the rate that we're going, we should be undefeated in no time!"  
  
As the next fighter made his way to the ring, Sakura S. looked at her twin on the sidelines and asked, "Do you really think we'll be able to go undefeated? I mean. we have this team, not to mention Yusuke's next. They all are experienced."  
  
"Hey, so are we," the lighter Sakura responded. "As long as we get in the finals, I'll take a few losses."  
  
Sakura S. smiled at her sister's comment and looked on. Next was Benimaru Nikaido, and he was right in position to start. He had his hair down and looking at her with a cute look on his face.  
  
"Round 2 has Hinata vs. Benimaru. Ready? Fight!"  
  
Hinata went into her fighting stance. but Benimaru just blew a kiss to her and asked something that totally confused her.  
  
"Are you in love with me?"  
  
Hinata sweatdropped and stood up straight, staring hard in his eyes.  
  
"What? Don't you think this isn't the right time to say things like that?"  
  
Benimaru smiled. "No. I just caught a glimpse of you looking at me. and I could see it in your eyes. You and I were made to be, baby."  
  
"That's what YOU think!" she shot back. "I don't have time to talk about a love relationship with someone that I don't even know, let alone someone I should be fighting. Let's go!"  
  
"Fine. have it your way, baby," Benimaru responded, blowing another kiss before pushing his hair to stand up on end. "After this. how about I take you out on a night on the town?"  
  
"Sure. if you aren't some type of pervert."  
  
Benimaru smiled before jumping into the air. At the peak of his jump, he came down while spinning, ready to kick her in the face. Hinata just dodged Benimaru's drill kick from the air and countered it.  
  
"Moutei!" she cried out as she hit Benimaru with her Shouyouken. He fell on his back, but safe fell and landed on his feet. Hinata rushed in to capitalize, but Benimaru swept her off her feet. Hinata didn't safe fall this time. After lying down for a second, she rolled to her left and kicked out while getting up. Benimaru blocked it and threw a punch to her face that was barely dodged.  
  
Hinata flowed with the action by giving a kick to the side of his head that Benimaru ducked and returned with a knee to the stomach, knocking Hinata out of her momentum. He took this time to charge up while she was stunned.  
  
"Raijinken!" he called as he threw his fist forward, letting an electric sphere of energy hit her two times before sending her reeling. Her body was covered with electricity, momentarily paralyzing her for Benimaru's next attack, another strong knee to the stomach.  
  
"Springboard Kick!" he called out as he followed with a rolling sobat move, then a flipkick, covered in electricity. Hinata gasped loudly as she fell to the ground, every nerve set a blaze by the energy.  
  
"Whoa." Darrell mumbled. "I didn't know someone could handle electricity like that."  
  
"Yeah. that's Benimaru for you." Sakura K. said. "I know him from the other two tournaments. but I never fought him. I heard he was pretty good. and a pretty boy. I guess it shows by the way he was flirting with Hinata just now."  
  
Hinata slowly got to her feet, shaking off the electricity. She saw Benimaru come in with a knee and evaded.  
  
"Enbukyaku!!"  
  
Benimaru met her burning spin kick and fell to the ground fully. He got up quickly afterwards, but met Hinata's heel kick to the back of his head. He face-planted in the canvas.  
  
"That's it, Hinata!" Sakura K. encouraged. "You got him. Keep it up!"  
  
Hinata waited as the announcer counted up to 4 while Benimaru got up. He got to one knee. then performed a sneak attack.  
  
"Shinku Katagemoa!!"  
  
Benimaru used his right hand to support himself as he spun his body like a top, sending Hinata all the way across the arena. She skidded to a stop, her legs over her head. then they flopped down to their natural position. Benimaru could hear her groans as he walked over to her.  
  
"You okay?" he asked. "I hope I didn't hurt you too much."  
  
Hinata put her hand on her head as she tried to get herself together. She slowly got up, trying to get back into stance, but she was seeing stars.  
  
"You." she murmured as she leaned over, putting her right hand on her knee. Benimaru shook his head in pity at Hinata's condition.  
  
"Poor thing. Let me end this fast so that I don't hurt you so bad that we can't go out."  
  
Benimaru ducked down while charging up. then rushed into Hinata's body, electricity trailing him. As soon as he made contact, he disappeared.  
  
"SPARK!!!"  
  
Benimaru reappeared behind Hinata, leaving behind a large shockwave of electricity that surged all throughout her body. She gasped. then fell to her knees, her eyes dull.  
  
"What. happened.?" she asked in a light voice before falling back to the ground.  
  
"Hinata!" Sakura K. yelled out as the announcer started his ten-count. It was clear that Hinata wasn't getting back up. As the announcer reached 10, she stood up, ready to go in.  
  
"That's the end of round 2. Benimaru overwhelms Hinata and ties up the series at one a piece. Will the next fighter come up?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Sakura K. made her way in after helping her K.O'ed friend out the ring. As soon as she stepped in, Benimaru turned his attention to her.  
  
"Hey. is this whole team made up of lovely young ladies? I can see that you're just like Hinata. Maybe I'll take you out to dinner also."  
  
"Sorry. If you're looking for a threesome, then I'm not part of it. I'm already taken."  
  
Benimaru raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? You already have a boyfriend? He can't be as good as me."  
  
"You wanna bet?" Sakura countered. "You don't have any idea what he's done for me. I don't think you can top that. That's another issue, though. Let's start this fight."  
  
"Sure." he replied while sharing another blow-kiss before the announcer started.  
  
"Okay. round 3 has Sakura Kasugano vs. Benimaru Nikaido. Ready? FIGHT!"  
  
Benimaru started by running up and doing a kick like he was the kicker in a football game. Sakura easily evaded and followed by nailing Benimaru in the side of the head with her fist. He reeled from the blow, but recovered to block the upcoming Shouoken special move. As Sakura went up, Benimaru charged up a fist. A ball of lightning energy covered his fist.  
  
"Raijinken!" he yelled as he aimed upward and nailed Sakura with his special move. Sakura fell on her back, trying to safe fall, but the electricity stunned her body and she landed on the back of her neck. It took until the count of 4 for her to recover and get back into stance. As she shook her head then rubbed the back of her neck, Darrell shouted some encouragement.  
  
"Don't worry about that, Sakura. It's a minor setback. Just make sure you beat him!"  
  
Sakura K. nodded as she charged up her own energy in her hands.  
  
"Hadouken!"  
  
Benimaru ducked Sakura's blast and retaliated with a familiar move of his own.  
  
"Shinku Katagemoa!"  
  
"Not this time!" Sakura yelled as she jumped his breakdance move and launched her mid-air Hadouken. It connected and Benimaru was automatically sent to the ground. Sakura landed and instantly went to another move as he was getting up.  
  
"Shunpukyaku!"  
  
Sakura was within an inch of Benimaru's head before he did something unexpected. First he parried the kick, letting Sakura try to recover. then he grabbed her.  
  
"Elec-trigger!!!"  
  
Benimaru unloaded a huge current of electricity into Sakura's body, making her scream so loud that even those sitting on the far reaches of the stadium could hear her. Darrell could sense Sakura's vitality drain away at a steady pace and started to sweat.  
  
{He's strong. I might have to fight him next if Sakura can't take him.}  
  
Benimaru finished with one last shock, blasting Sakura to the ground. Her entire body was covered with Benimaru's electricity, twitching periodically as the announcer started the count. As that happened, Benimaru blew a kiss.  
  
"Don't worry, Sakura." he said in a passionate tone. "You'll be fine. The electrical paralysis should wear off soon."  
  
"A little sooner. than you think." Sakura's weak voice squeaked as she sat up, the electricity around her vanishing at the count of 7. Benimaru smiled.  
  
"So, you're back up, baby? That's cool. I guess a good fight is good for me before a date."  
  
"You know. I would think you're full of yourself. but I guess I can't."  
  
Sakura didn't wait for him to reply as she charged in, getting ready for another move, but Benimaru anticipated and countered with a rolling sobat kick. It hit her face. throwing her balance off. It was a critical point for Benimaru.  
  
{Haven't used this in a while. but I hope this will impress her.}  
  
"Here I go! Gei'ei Hurricane!!!"  
  
Benimaru stroke a pose. and another Benimaru rushed out of his body and nailed Sakura. He did another pose. and the same thing happened. After about 8 more Shadow attacks, Benimaru finally followed up with his own speedy kick, finishing his super move. and Sakura. As she fell back, Darrell twitched.  
  
{He's VERY strong. There HAS to be a way to beat him. That's it. I'm going up next.}  
  
He tuned back in to the announcer's count, which just ended.  
  
"Benimaru beats Sakura K. quickly with his super move, the Gei'ei Hurricane. The series is now 1-2 with 2 fighters left on both sides. Let's see how C-8 comes back from this one."  
  
Benimaru blew another kiss to Sakura's fallen body.  
  
"I hope you like that. I finished you off in the most impressive way! You're sure lucky!"  
  
{Is he. flirting with her?? Okay, pretty boy. You're getting a fire sword right where the sun doesn't shine!}  
  
Just as Darrell got up, a hand on his shoulder held him down. By the looks of it, he knew who it was.  
  
"Darrell. Don't worry. I got him."  
  
"Heh. I guess so, Sakura S. Be careful. Benimaru's no pushover. He beat the other 2 pretty quickly. with those electric attacks."  
  
Sakura S. nodded before going in to fight Benimaru. As usual, Benimaru threw a kiss to her and smiled.  
  
"Another one, huh? By the looks of it, it seems as if you're the other's sister. Are you taken?"  
  
The darker Sakura shook her head. "No. but I really don't intend. Wait a minute."  
  
Suddenly, she had an idea. It was a longshot, but she decided to try it anyway.  
  
"You know. maybe I do intend to."  
  
This caught Benimaru's attention.  
  
"Oh. looks like I have an admirer. Well then. maybe I'll go a little easier on you then. I really don't believe in hurting my fans too much."  
  
{Yeah. and that will be your downfall.} Sakura S. thought as she got into her fighting stance.  
  
"Round 4: Sakura Satsu vs. Benimaru. Ready? Fight!"  
  
This time, Benimaru waited for Sakura to do the first move: a slow Hadouken that was blocked easily. It exploded. and when it cleared up, Benimaru didn't find a trace of his opponent.  
  
"Huh. A diversion??"  
  
"Behind you."  
  
Benimaru spun around. and got decked in the face by Sakura's black handguard. Instantly he stumbled backwards, holding his face.  
  
"No!!! How could you! Why hit me in the face of all places?!"  
  
Sakura S. gave a 'tch!' "All pretty boys can't stand being hit in the face. You're no exception, Benimaru."  
  
Before she went on, she dashed in. and nailed the Haru Ichiban on him. After 18 hits, Benimaru plummeted to the ground, K.O.'ed, with Sakura S. following him.  
  
"Like Darrell used to say. You can't be a true fighter without knowing how to take a hit. There's no way I'd let someone as. vitally weak as you be my boyfriend. That's why Darrell is my sis's boyfriend. He's strong. not worried about his looks. and cares for her. If only you were the same."  
  
"After a good hit, Sakura S. defeats Benimaru with her Haru Ichiban. Now C- 1, who has only lost once, only has one other fighter to protect their status. Can he do it?"  
  
Sakura waited patiently for the last fighter to show up in the ring. After about 5 seconds, he finally stepped in. It was none other than Kyo Kusanagi.  
  
"Round 5 is starting now!" the ring announcer yelled. "Kyo Kusanagi is taking on Sakura Satsu. Fighters ready? FIGHT!"  
  
Oddly, both didn't start the match automatically. Kyo stared at his opponent for a while.  
  
"I remember you. You're the girl that has the same moves as Ryu. sort of. What's with the skin change?"  
  
"Where you watching the other matches, Kyo?" she answered with her own question. "The last fighter your friend, Benimaru, beat was Sakura K., the Sakura you speak of. I'm her sis. Get it straight."  
  
"Humph! I guess it won't matter in a few minutes. You'll only be another fighter who feels the flame of the Kusanagi clan."  
  
"Are we going to fight or talk all day?"  
  
Kyo smirked. "Ikuze."  
  
Sakura started with a Shunpukyaku that Kyo blocked. After she landed, she followed with a fierce punch to the face. Kyo blocked that also. Sakura S. changed up and started to sweep Kyo, but as soon as she threw her leg out.  
  
"Oriya!!"  
  
Kyo threw his elbow into Sakura's body, causing a circle of flame to surround him and ignite her. He went up into the air and sent Sakura a far. She safe fall and used her Satsu aura to get rid of the fire on her. As she did this, Kyo stood in shock. slightly.  
  
"That aura. it's not normal. It feels evil. but it doesn't suit her. That's it. No more holding back!"  
  
Kyo charged towards his opponent and threw a few punches that were blocked. The last punch was parried, pushing him back. Sakura used that opportunity to deliver a roundhouse kick. At the point of impact, Kyo turned his body so that she nailed his back, but he rolled off the attack like Darrell would do and nailed a flaming punch to her head. He followed with backhand, still flaming, and ended with a jumping elbow, flooring her.  
  
As he landed, Sakura rolled towards him and kicked out while getting up. Her kick connected as he landed, making him reel back more by surprise than by the actual attack. Sakura S. used this opportunity to use her favorite super move.  
  
"Midare. ZAKURA!!!"  
  
Eighteen hits and a Shouoken later, Kyo was on the ground while the dark Sakura was landing. She stood on guard, ready to counter a sneak attack. Good thing, because as Kyo was getting up, his left fist threw out a streak of fire that almost burned her cheek if she didn't dodge it. She countered by using her Ashura Warp teleport to go right behind Kyo to nail him in the back of the head. This was a bad move.  
  
"Haaaaaaaaaahhhhh.!"  
  
Sakura S. realized too late as Kyo's whole body erupted into flames. The flames hit her up and above Kyo, who was still charging up his super attack, the Serpent Wave. Just as she was about to land, Kyo collected all his fire.  
  
"THIS HAS ENDED!!!"  
  
.and threw all of it at Sakura. Even though Sakura S. was a being of Satsu, no even she could withstand the heat. She was K.O.'ed long before she hit the ground. At this time, it would be expected that Darrell would get very worried. Instead, he stared at Kyo while thinking.  
  
{Weird. This match. is going by a lot faster than the other ones. Kyo's team. goes all out after a short period of time. I've got to use that to their disadvantage. That's why everyone on my team was taken out so quickly: they never expected them to use such a tactic. Well then, Kyo Kusanagi. you better prepare yourself for one long battle.}  
  
With that thought, Darrell, the last person on C-8 able to keep their winning streak going, got up and walked into the ring.  
  
----- -----  
  
"SHAKUNETSUKEN!!!"  
  
Kyo watched as Darrell's fists went up in flames. It wasn't anything new to him. He can control flames at will. The thing was. this round was going on for over 10 minutes and he didn't win yet. He was starting to lose his patience. Darrell on the other hand, was running out of energy. and fast. It was a close bout, but Kyo had the advantage throughout it all. Kyo kept wearing him down. and unless he could think of something, he would lose.  
  
"Come on." Kyo said while waving a finger, a small flame resting on the tip of it. "You should know better than to use same trick over and over again."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I don't have time for your advice!"  
  
With that Darrell rushed in, his golden aura flaring as he delivered punch after punch. Some connected, but of the most part Kyo warded it off. Eventually, Kyo used his Fire Ball special move, the rising flame elbow, to knock Darrell down to the ground. Immediately, Darrell's fists turned to normal as he lay on the canvas, breathing through his mouth and moaning slightly.  
  
"Oh. is it too hot for you?" Kyo taunted. "You handle flames, but can't take flames. Interesting."  
  
"Sh. shut up."  
  
Darrell slowly got to his feet at the count of 8. He knew he was cutting it close. and he only had one option. He stood back, charging up his vigor at his side. Kyo instantly knew what he might throw.  
  
"He couldn't.! That's Ryu's move!"  
  
"Shaku.netsu. Shinku."  
  
The red fireball appeared, ready to fire.  
  
"HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
Kyo ran straight towards him as Darrell fired. As the blast started to connect, Kyo sidestepped... something Darrell didn't know until his voice called out behind him.  
  
"I'll show you."  
  
"HE DIDN'T!" Darrell yelled out as he spun around. and was earthed by a huge column of flame. followed by over 9 fast punches from Kyo. then. then finish.  
  
"THE FIST OF KUSANAGI!!! ORIYA!!!"  
  
Kyo finished with an overpowered Fire Ball, sending Darrell to the ground in a flaming blaze. Even after landing on the ground, the flames still ate away at his clothes as the announcer went into his frenzy.  
  
"Wow!! That had to be big damage right there! Kyo pulled out his strongest super and probably jeopardized C-8's undefeated win streak. Without further ado. 1.. 2."  
  
"Heh. he shouldn't bother counting. He's out." Kyo smiled a bit. "Victory is mine this time."  
  
"7. 8."  
  
Just then, Darrell's body started to struggle.  
  
"No. no way. I. won't lose. Kyo."  
  
As Darrell very slowly got to his feet, Kyo just shook his head in pity.  
  
'You should really give up," he tipped. "You have nothing to fight on. You're finished."  
  
Darrell fully got to his wobbly feet. and it was clear that Kyo was telling to truth. Darrell's vigor was completely depleted. Kyo was too strong.  
  
{No. I've got to keep going. Huh!?}  
  
Without warning, Kyo rushed up to him and rammed his elbow into Darrell's stomach. hard. Darrell's eyes instantly lost its spark and he let out weak gasps as Kyo used his hand to pick him up by the neck. and raise him up high. He smiled as he looked at his battered opponent.  
  
"Oh, is it bedtime already?" he taunted. "If this hurts. then it ain't my fault. You shouldn't have gotten up."  
  
Kyo waited as Darrell slowly looked down at him with dull, defeated eyes.  
  
{I. don't believe it. I lost.}  
  
Then Kyo yelled out.  
  
"BURN!!!!"  
  
A huge explosion came out of Kyo's hand and Darrell's cry was heard all over. When the fire cleared, Darrell was laying on his side, his eyes closed and his entire body burned. The announcer took a look at him. and immediately knew that the match was over.  
  
"That's it, ladies and gentlemen! Kyo pulls through and ends C-8's undefeated streak, pulling both teams to a 4-1 ranking. The rookie team fought well, but couldn't get into a groove to get their big moves out. Now then, can we get some assistance?"  
  
---- -----  
  
"Darrell. Darrell!"  
  
"Ugh. wha.? Sakura K.? What. happened?"  
  
"Simple. we lost."  
  
".damn. Our first loss."  
  
Darrell was in his hotel bed with his girlfriend sitting on the side of it. It was an hour after the end of their match and the entire team was recuperating from the beating. Both Darrell and Sakura were still in their tattered clothes, Darrell's burned and Sakura's torn by electricity. Darrell sat up and rested his head on his right hand.  
  
"I guess. we had to take our lumps sometime. I had a good plan going. but it just didn't pull out."  
  
"I wouldn't get depressed. we're still in the top 5 team rankings for the tournament. I'm not bitter."  
  
Darrell looked up to Sakura. "How could you say that you're not bitter? Wait. I'm not either. Just tired."  
  
"Yeah. me too. I just woke up 10 minutes ago and I'm still wrecked. Benimaru's electricity really zaps your energy out of you."  
  
Darrell shook his head hard to get rid of a small hint of dizziness before asking, "So. now what? We've got Yusuke's team 2 days from now. Thank God there's a break. Then again, we're gonna need it. Yusuke's team in NO pushover."  
  
"I know that. They're one of the only teams that are still undefeated. Plus, it's the match before they start eliminating teams for the semi- finals. We can't slack off here."  
  
Suddenly, Sakura stopped talking as a thought went into her head.  
  
"Darrell. we've got to talk to Yusuke about something tomorrow. It's important."  
  
"Like what?" Darrell asked quizzily.  
  
"It's about Akuma. They're helping us out. so they need some details."  
  
"Yeah. I guess."  
  
End of Chapter 28 


	29. Rule Change

29. Rule Change  
  
"So. I think I got it. Purple karate gi, hair that stands on end like fire. dark skin like your sister's. blood red eyes. red Satsu aura. Shouldn't take long to identify."  
  
"Yusuke." Boton started but Kuwabara cut her off.  
  
"Sounds like just another freak if you ask me. What's so special about him?"  
  
"You really are a moron, aren't you?" Darrell muttered. "I've fought him myself. There's no way you'll be able to beat him, Kuwabara. Not at your current strength, anyway."  
  
"What you say??" Kuwabara shot back, rising out of his seat. "How about we go one-on-one right now?!"  
  
"Chill out, Kuwabara." Darrell said calmly. "Save it for our match tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah. listen to the human over there. He knows what he's talking about."  
  
"Don't encourage him, Hiei." Yusuke mumbled under his breath. Both teams were in Yusuke's hotel room discussing the Akuma predicament that was 5 days away. They were talking for a good 15 minutes. and already they seemed to be on the same page.  
  
"But there is still something wrong here." Boton started. "If this Akuma person is really a demon. then why don't the people at Spirit World have any recollection of his existence?"  
  
"Shouldn't YOU know that?" Yusuke shot back. Boton sweatdropped as she jumped in her seat, surprised.  
  
"Well, uh, I'm not in charge of that." she mumbled.  
  
"Anyway. I think that should do it," Sakura S. said. "Although we need to be at our best when we fight him and the other two guys coming, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't go easy on one another tomorrow--"  
  
"WHAT A MINUTE!!" Yusuke bolted. "You mean to tell me that there is more than this guy??"  
  
Hinata nodded slowly. "Yeah."  
  
"So why didn't you tell us about them before?!"  
  
"We don't know anything about these two," she responded. "We don't even know their names."  
  
"So how do you know about them?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"The question should be. if we are ready to take the challenge."  
  
"Kurama. of course I'm going through with this," Yusuke answered. "There's just the fact that we're not dealing with just one fighter here."  
  
"So what?" Hiei mumbled. "We've defeated the Toguro team. They had 4 fighters and we're dealing with 3 here. The odds are three against 10, including this Ryu and Wangtang character. and the idiot over there."  
  
"Hey!" Kuwabara yelled, but Hiei kept going.  
  
"It seems simple enough. We go, we fight, and we win."  
  
"If only it was that simple." Darrell added.  
  
"Trust me. It will be an easy task with me with you."  
  
Darrell and Hiei stared at one another for a long while. then Darrell sighed.  
  
"I'm not going to argue about it. I guess I'll see what you guys can do when we fight tomorrow."  
  
"Sure. It's your funeral," Hiei mumbled.  
  
----- -----  
  
"Hello everyone to another day of hardcore matches in the Turn of the Century tournament! Today has a bit of a twist to it, though. Starting with this match right here, team C-8 vs. C-28, the way the matches go will be like this. At the end of a round, the winner will get a chance to either continue to the next round or switch with a teammate that hasn't been defeated. Today, things will begin slowly with one match then we'll go on to the multitude of fights that you've become accustomed to. Now then, will the first two fighters from C-8 and 28 please step in?"  
  
On the side of the ring where the announcer was at, Hinata stood up.  
  
"Okay, guys. I'll go first. I'm accustomed to switching between rounds. Let's see how our new partners are, huh?"  
  
"Just be careful," Sakura K. advised. "Remember that these guys are good."  
  
Hinata nodded as she stepped in. At the same time on the other side of the ring, Kuwabara was in his own train of thought.  
  
{Since I've looked back on their matches, it's a good chance that Darrell's going first. In that's the case. I'll go in and beat him myself. He thinks he's so great. I'll show him!}  
  
Without anyone knowing it, Kuwabara rushed into the ring.  
  
"So I guess the fool's going first," Hiei noticed.  
  
"I guess it will save us the time of choosing who will go first," Yusuke added. Kurama kept quiet as the two fighters in the ring met. It was clear that Kuwabara was surprised to see Hinata instead of Darrell.  
  
"WAIT A MINUTE!!!" Kuwabara yelled, catching everyone's attention. He ran towards the side of the ring where Hinata's teammates were sitting and pointed to Darrell.  
  
"What's the matter? Aren't you going to fight me?"  
  
"Huh?" Darrell let out, surprised. He waited a few seconds before answering. "Well, to be honest. I'm waiting to take on Yusuke Urameshi. What's wrong with fighting Hinata?"  
  
"You want to know?? It goes against my honor code," Kuwabara answered. "I don't fight girls, even if they are fighters."  
  
Darrell stared at him for a long while. then simply pointed behind him. Kuwabara turned around. and was decked by Hinata's fist, sending him reeling.  
  
"You JERK!!!" Hinata screamed, her tone louder than ever before. "You're in a tournament for crying out loud! You'll be facing a lot of fighters from all sorts of backgrounds, male or female. Our whole team is made up of 3 girls and one boy. How in the hell are you going to follow your code in this match??"  
  
"Hinata." Sakura S and K said simultaneously. Hinata had to be pretty upset about Kuwabara's code. if she actually cursed in the open like that.  
  
"Okay. I'll ditch the code this time." Kuwabara mumbled. "I'm not going to like this though."  
  
"Wow. Kuwabara actually isn't following his code," Yusuke gasped. "This ought to be interesting."  
  
"Okay, then. Round 1 has Hinata Wakaba vs. Kazuma Kuwabara. Ready? Fight!"  
  
"Okay, Hinata," Kuwabara started, "Even though I don't have any choice in this, I'll try to give it all I got."  
  
"Don't try. Just do it."  
  
Hinata instantly went into her stance ready to fight but Kuwabara stood still.  
  
"I'll let you get the first hit." he said. and Hinata followed his instructions. Hinata gave Kuwabara a few random attacks that he evaded. She then threw her Rengakiken. Kuwabara took the full 8 hits of her special move, being knocked down by her energy sphere. Kuwabara stood up quickly and retaliated with his own hard punch. It was fast, but it only gazed Hinata's cheek. The force, however, was enough to make her stumble backwards.  
  
Kuwabara let her recover. and Hinata wasn't exactly pleased about it.  
  
"Why aren't you fighting seriously?" she asked while putting her hands on her hips. Kuwabara sighed.  
  
"Are you sure about this? If I do go all out. then I could injure you pretty badly. I just can't--"  
  
"Listen. don't take it personally," she cut him off. "Just pretend that I'm not a girl. If that's the only way I'm going to get a good fight out of you. then do that."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Kuwabara closed his eyes for a while, focusing himself. When he opened his eyes again, he held his hands together, charging his energy. They began to glow with orange energy similar to Darrell's. only without the flames.  
  
"SPIRIT SWORD!!!" He yelled out as his energy went out into a large energy rod. He placed it to his side, ready to fight. On the sidelines, Darrell was livid. slightly.  
  
"I don't believe it! He has a sword move just like mine!" he yelled out. Darrell's response caught Kuwabara's ears and caused him to smile a cocky one.  
  
"Yeah. well I've been using this baby for a long while," Kuwabara bragged, "and unlike your sword, I can hold mine as long as I want! Take that, Darrell!"  
  
Darrell rolled his eyes. as well as Yusuke on the other side.  
  
"Great. Now he has a reason to brag," both said simultaneously.  
  
"Alright!" Hinata chimed as she went back into her stance. "That's more like it. Now, no more holding back!"  
  
This time, both fighters charged in. Hinata tried out a punch to the head, but Kuwabara evaded and tried to slash her on her side. He almost connected if Hinata didn't roll forward to get away. Hinata got back up as Kuwabara tried to regain his momentum and went into her flaming Enbukyaku. Kuwabara narrowly blocked it with his sword. but when Hinata's sneaker made contact, Kuwabara's energy caused a sudden shock to cover her body. She immediately stopped her move and fell on her back.  
  
"That's new." Sakura K. mentioned.  
  
"Heh. nice trick, huh?" Kuwabara asked. "As soon as you touch my sword, you'll be in for a shock. I should have warned you."  
  
Hinata shook her head and got up, ready to fight again. This time, Kuwabara took to the offensive by himself. Hinata's first instinct was to block, but she quickly remembered what Kuwabara said. As Kuwabara came down with a strike from above, Hinata dodged it by moving left and countered with her Shouyouken. Kuwabara was sent flying to the other side of the ring and landed on his back. Hinata watched him get up, wiping him mouth with the back of his open hand.  
  
"Great shot. but now let's pull out the stops."  
  
Sakura S. immediately noticed an increase in Kuwabara's energy as he charged up. An orange aura shot out of his body as another Spirit Sword came into his free hand. Not only that, but this one, along with the previous sword became slightly longer and thicker in length.  
  
"How's this, Hinata?" Kuwabara asked. "It's my Double Spirit Sword. Twice the threat, twice the power. Hope you're ready."  
  
Hinata stood her ground. She was planning what she was going to do to try to get a clean his off him without getting slashed. Kuwabara didn't let her think long about it as he came in, attacking her with both swords simultaneously. She tried her best to dodge, but it proved that it wouldn't get her far. Thinking fast, she waited for him to come with a single slash. then dashed in with a fierce punch to the face, stunning him for her next attack.  
  
"Hisshou!!' she called as she unleashed her multi-hit attack which was the Hisshou Rengakiken. After 13 hits and a flaming Shouoken later, Kuwabara met canvas. face first.  
  
"That's it, Hinata!" Sakura K. encouraged her friend. "Keep it up and you got him!"  
  
"How come I'm not surprised that he's losing.?" Hiei mumbled his question that went unanswered.  
  
"Hey, dimwit!" Yusuke yelled. "Stop playing around!"  
  
"Shut up... Urameshi," Kuwabara muttered under his breath as he got up by the count of 6. He still had his swords ready, making Hinata turn cautious. Too bad it didn't last.  
  
"Okay, then." she said loud enough for him to hear. "How about we end this? It's starting to get boring."  
  
Then, Hinata did something that really riled up Kuwabara: she closed her eyes, put a hand up to her mouth. and yawned. VERY loudly.  
  
{What?!? Did she just say that I was boring? Oh, that's it! I didn't mean to do this but you drove me to!}  
  
Kuwabara focused his double swords. and they extended until they reached Hinata. She didn't realize it until she opened her eyes. and gasped as they rapped around her gripping her tightly.  
  
"Bad time to taunt, Hinata!" Darrell shouted out loud as he witnessed Hinata screaming from the pain of Kuwabara's swords.  
  
"Heh. Looks like the idiot actually did something noteworthy." Hiei's witty remark came by.  
  
"Yeah. after Hinata stood still for him," Yusuke added.  
  
"Shut up over there!!" Kuwabara yelled after overhearing his teammates' comments. "I don't want to do this but she severely ticked me off. At least cut me some slack!"  
  
A pause came by before Kuwabara heard a response. Unfortunately for him. it was a giggle. from Hinata.  
  
"What?!?" he yelled as he refocused his attention to Hinata. who was actually smiling considering the painful condition she was in. He looked down, sensing an energy build-up. and saw that Hinata's right sneaker was flaming.  
  
"Sorry, Kuwabara," she apologized, "but if you were planning to drain my energy, then it won't work. I have a surprise for you."  
  
And with that, Hinata started to spin around like a top. Her teammates immediately knew what she was going for: the Fire Senpukyaku.  
  
"Go get him, Hinata!" Sakura S. rooted in support as Hinata brought her leg out to initiate her attack. This time, Kuwabara was getting sucked in because he was still holding onto his swords. which were contacting because of her move.  
  
"Let go of your swords, stupid!" Yusuke yelled out, but even though Kuwabara followed his orders, Hinata's move caused a vacuum that kept drawing him in. In all sense of stupidity, Kuwabara tried to run from it.  
  
"That isn't wise." Kurama spoke up for the first time and his analysis was correct. Hinata drew Kuwabara in and burned him severely with 5 kicks, the last one throwing him to the other side of the ring. His swords immediately released their hold on Hinata and let her regain her breath just as the announcer, who kept quiet throughout the whole match, started his count.  
  
"Alright!!" her team yelled out. Hinata relaxed on the ropes as she looked at her opponent, who had swirls in his eyes in a comical way.  
  
"That's it, folks!" the announcer called out. "Kuwabara's out cold, so the first round goes to Hinata and her C-8 team!"  
  
He then turned her attention to Hinata and asked, "Now. will you switch with a teammate or will you keep on."  
  
"Uh. whose fighting next?" she answered his question with her own. "Once I know who. then I'll decide."  
  
"Okay. sounds fair enough."  
  
Fortunately, the announcer didn't need to ask the question. The next fighter, in the form of Yusuke Urameshi, stepped in after he rolled Kuwabara out. He then looked at her with a smile and asked her, "I'm next. Now, what's your choice?"  
  
This time, Hinata didn't answer. Darrell stepped into the ring and went over to her. He whispered something to her. and then backed away, letting Hinata speak.  
  
"I'll switch," she said. "My partner wants to take on Yusuke and I want to recuperate a bit."  
  
"Alright, everyone!!' the announcer shouted over his mic. "You heard the woman. Round 2 will have Yusuke Urameshi vs. Darrell Markis! This is going to be an exciting barnburner right here!"  
  
As Hinata exited the ring, Darrell and Yusuke stared hard into the other's eyes. Yusuke saw flames and determination in Darrell's eyes as Darrell sensed his energy through what he saw.  
  
"I've seen some of your matches. You're strong." Darrell complemented. "Looks like I won't be bored with this one."  
  
"Same here, pal," Yusuke shot back. "Let's skip the boring introductions and get straight to the heat of the matter."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Instantly, both fighters' auras erupted off their bodies, shooting up high into the air. Everyone in the stadium watched in awe at their power just as the announcer started the match.  
  
"Round 2 starts now! Fighters, ready? FIGHT!!"  
  
End of Chapter 29 


	30. Darrell vs Yusuke

30. Darrell vs. Yusuke  
  
"Yusuke... Be careful."  
  
Keiko was right in the front row along with Boton, watching the two fight in the ring. It always pained her to see Yusuke fight and get hurt, but Yusuke's life revolved around his ability to fight, weither it was fights with rival junior high schools or demons with extraordinary powers.  
  
"Don't worry, Keiko," Boton reassured her. "I bet Yusuke is going to be fine. Besides, these two teams will have to work together 4 days from now on this case anyway. They won't critically hurt each other."  
  
Keiko kept her attention on Yusuke, who threw rapid punches at Darrell, who in turn either blocked or evaded.  
  
{I hope so.}  
  
---- -----  
  
"Stop moving and fight back!" Yusuke shot his remark.  
  
"You're going to have to stop me from moving first," Darrell replied as he dodged another punch to the face and retaliated with an uppercut. Yusuke backed away, avoiding it and nailed his opponent in the ribs. Darrell jumped back, trying to ignore the pain, and went offensive.  
  
Yusuke dodged Darrell's punch fast and returned with one to his side, making Darrell reel as a result. He was about to follow with one to the face but Darrell quickly formed a small Shakunetsuken Sword and blocked it. Surprisingly, Yusuke didn't get hit by the sword like Kensou did in the earlier fight so Darrell improvised; he used his blocking position to counter.  
  
"Hah!" Darrell yelled as he threw his sword forward into a push, sending Yusuke on his back. He was quick getting back up, though, and caught Darrell off guard with an energy-pached punch. Darrell was sent flying into the ropes, bungeed off, and was slammed into the canvas. He stayed down for a second, something on his mind.  
  
{That was weird. Although it felt as if he was attacking fast, I still had time to block. Alright, let's do this. I'm ready, now.}  
  
As Yusuke's opponenet got up at 3, Yusuke stood waiting with his hands on his hips. As soon as he got up, Yuske made his comment.  
  
"Hey, what's the matter? You having second thoughts?"  
  
Darrell shook his head. "No. Just getting myself together. Come on. I'm ready now."  
  
"I bet."  
  
As the two started again, Kurama made an observation.  
  
"The kid. I can feel that he's a bit hesitant to fight at his fullest."  
  
"Humph! He must have felt Yusuke's real power that he's cloaking." Hiei responded. "I doubt he'll get far even if he does go all out."  
  
"I believe you underestimate him." Kurama said in Darrell's defense. "I still do sense a large source of Spirit Energy in him. He probably needs provoking."  
  
"Heh. If it's provoking he wants, Yusuke will give it to him."  
  
Darrell overheard the last two statements and then glared at Yusuke.  
  
{Okay, then. Let's see if they sense this.}  
  
He put his right hand in front of him, putting his left on top of it while putting both outstretched in front of him. Yusuke stood ready, noticing that his pose was different.  
  
"Shakunetsuken." he started, building up energy. A medium sized flame came out his right fist as he let go, holding his fist up to his face again. ".Dagger," he finished. Yusuke just looked at him, unimpressed.  
  
"Come on. At least give me your all," he moaned while yarning slightly. "That little thing isn't going to do a thing against me."  
  
Darrell didn't respond. He took a step, then rushed forward. Once close, he took a backhand strike at Yusuke, who simply moved and retaliated with a strong punch to the stomach. Darrell slowed down because of it, but kept trying with an uppercut. Yusuke barely avoided contact and made his opponent pay for it with a hard hit to the side of the head, totally dropping Darrell. The instant Yusuke made contact, Darrell's anger grew.  
  
{Damn! Why can't I fight as well as I did before? I KNOW I could hit him.}  
  
"You know. this is getting boring." Yusuke mumbled. "At least you could have made this interesting. I guess I'll end this quick."  
  
Darrell growled, getting up slowly off the canvas. Once Yusuke received his look, he knew something was up. Even Boton, Hiei, and Kurama noticed something. Yusuke saw it, too. and didn't like it.  
  
"What the hell..? What are you doing?!"  
  
Darrell didn't respond again. His eyes read full determination and rage as he powered both fists into full-blown Shakunetsukens.  
  
"Perpare yourself, Yusuke." he mumbled. "I'm through holding back." His aura instantly went to gold, surprising everyone.  
  
"So this is the boy's true power." Hiei acknowledged. "Not too shabby."  
  
"Whoa! Wait a minute, Darrell!" Sakura K. yelled to him from the sidelines. "You shouldn't go all out after only a minute! You're wasting energy!"  
  
Darrell ignored her and eyed down his opponent a little more. then did something that surprised everyone. He seemed to vanish, reappearing right in Yusuke's face, totally starlting him. Darrell decked him with a powerful burning blow, sending Yusuke flying. Darrell reappeared behind Yusuke and hit him upwards, then jumped after him performing an air combo, something noone on his team did in a while. He ended it with an air Hadouken and Yusuke was sent to the canvas. Luckily Yusuke was able to get up quick just as Darrell landed. He wiped the small hint of blood off his lips as he made a silent observation.  
  
{Hmm. He reminds me of myself for some reason. Great. Now let's see what this guy got.}  
  
"You got some lucky shots," he said out loud, "but now it's time to get serious." Just as he ended his quote, his own power built up, the blue aura matching Darrell's. The dark skinned fighter wasn't exactly impressed, though. He still stared at Yusuke with the same fierce look.  
  
"Come on, Urameshi."  
  
Darrell sped towards Yusuke again, not bothering to let him think. He threw several punches that were blocked, but he also added a double kick while spinning in the air, catching Yusuke off guard. He then added a cross blow and an uppercut, finishing with an uppercut, all at impressive speed. As Yusuke hit the canvas, Hiei mumbled something to Kurama.  
  
"You sense that, don't you?"  
  
Kuraman only nodded.  
  
"Yes... and if Yusuke doesn't do something, things won't look good for him."  
  
On the other side of the ring, Sakura K. was worried.  
  
"Darrell. What's wrong with you? You don't seem the same."  
  
"Sis. You sense it too, right?" the dark twin asked.  
  
"Yeah. What's up with him? He seems more powerful. but this is foreign to us."  
  
"I don't know. and I don't think Darrell cares. All he's worried about is hurting Yusuke.." At that instant, her eyes went wide. "It couldn't be. could it?"  
  
"It couldn't be what?" Hinata asked. Sakura S. just shook her head.  
  
{No way. I just know it can't be it. Darrell's not that type of guy. Besides, he couldn't have that in his system. He doesn't practice normal Shotokan. So. what is this?}  
  
------ -----  
  
"What's wrong, Urameshi? Aren't you going to tease me again?"  
  
Yusuke hit the ground for like the tenth time within a minute and a half. Darrell's new boost totally caught him off guard, but he wasn't going to take that sitting down anymore. Darrell stopped as a huge burst of Yusuke's energy came up off Yusuke's body. At that very moment, something snapped into Darrell's brain, and his current state of anger turned into confusion. It was like he forgot where he was or what he was doing.  
  
"Huh? What the.?"  
  
He shook his head hard and looked at Yusuke and gasped, sensing how powerful he became.  
  
{Wait. I'm fighting now? What. have I been doing? Yusuke's gonna pummel me if I don't do something!}  
  
Darrell charged himelf up and within an instant his gold aura showed around him. Yusuke looked up and noticed that Darrell's power changed.  
  
"What the.? Are you trying to confuse me, going from berserk to innocent so fast? I'm not going to let up on you, now!"  
  
Darrell paused at that statement.  
  
"What.?! What are you talking about? I don't remember even laying a finger on you.!"  
  
Yusuke remain on his guard. "Yeah, yeah. Like I said, it won't work on me, so I suggest you get ready to lose!"  
  
Yusuke zipped right into range and Darrell couldn't see it in time. He got his stomach bashed in as a result. and it was then that he realized how strong Yusuke really was. He gagged, slumping to his knees and holding his stomach in pain. Yusuke immediately proceeded to beat the hell out of him, but as he did this, something went through his mind.  
  
{I don't understand. This version of him isn't nearly as good a fighter as the one that snuck me. I don't understand. Maybe.}  
  
Yusuke suddenly laid off his beating, which lasted over 2 minutes straight. The crowd had mixed emotions over the fight, mainly over what was happening to the American fighter.  
  
"Hey. are you okay?" Yusuke asked out of curiosity. "You really aren't fighting at your best, aren't you?"  
  
Darrell barely heard Yusuke. He was still dazed from his excessive beating at the hands of the Junior high schooler.  
  
"I don't. understand." Darrell mumbled as he stared at the spiraling canvas below him. "Why is everything. spinning? How come I'm so off all of a sudden?"  
  
Yusuke sighed. Clearly it wasn't worth continuing the fight. He looked toward the announcer and said, "Hey.! I think he needs some help. He doesn't look so good."  
  
"Oh, really?" he responded while inspecting the other warrior. After a while, he completed his analysis.  
  
"I see, Yusuke. He clearly isn't fit for this fight, but Darrell has to say his withdrawal from the match."  
  
"Then why didn't you ask him that question?" Yusuke demanded.  
  
"Ura. meshi. Wait."  
  
Yusuke turned his attention to his opponent, who was wiping himself off the canvas. As he held his head with one hand, he added, "Just. one quick power test. to show you how strong I really am. Come on and give me. your best shot."  
  
"No way," Yusuke immediately declined. "I couldn't live with myself if something bad happens before you can beat that Akuma person."  
  
Darrell didn't reply verbally. His aura spoke for him as it rose in power, starting to shine. Darrell shook his head and leaned back, getting into his Hadouken stance. Yusuke also did the same. getting into his pose, that is. Both were in identical poses as Yusuke's blue aura seemed to string all over.  
  
"So he's going for it." Kurama said to himself. "The Spirit Wave."  
  
"He's going for what?!" Kuwabara, who just woke up from the energy disturbance, belted as he looked onto his rival's fight. On the other side, the girls were a lot more concerned for Darrell's behalf.  
  
"I really think Darrell should reconsider this." Hinata urged the twins. Neither responded as they already knew how hurt Darrell was already, not to mention what might happen to him in the next few moments. All they could do was look on.  
  
"Shakunetsu."  
  
Darell's ball of flaming energy appeared. In Yusuke's hands, a similar glow of blue came out.  
  
"Shinku."  
  
All eyes were on the two in center ring.  
  
"HADOUKEN!!"  
  
Darrell fired. but on release, he knew something was wrong.  
  
Oh, no. It's too weak.  
  
The huge blast kept going, however, right into Yusuke's direction. Darrell kept his eyes on it. but then he grew wide-eyes.  
  
No.! He didn't.  
  
Yusuke popped up right at the side of the beam, moving very quickly. He moved past it and into range.  
  
"SPIRIT WAVE!!!"  
  
"NOOO!!!!"  
  
POW!!!  
  
Yusuke delivered all his stored Spirit Energy in one fast, powerful punch to Darrell's face. It connected. and Darrell's head was forced backwards to the extreme. Yusuke then looked on, staying in his position for a quick second as Darrell's head snapped back into it's natural position. then Darrell moaned painfully as he leaned over, his arms dangling at his sides.  
  
"Yeah, Urameshi!" Kuwabara cheered. "That's how you end a match!"  
  
Yusuke smiled briefly before snapping back and aiming his pointed finger at the top of Darrell's head.  
  
"Now this is the nail in the coffin!" he yelled out as a familiar blue ball of energy come on his fingertip.  
  
"SPIRIT GUN!!"  
  
Yusuke fired at next-to-point-blank range and the bullet exploded. Darrell's teammates, as well as one half of the audience gasped as the arena was engulfed in the smoke. A sudden gust of wind blew the smoke away. and the first thing that was visible was Darrell's tattered body on the ground.  
  
"Oh, man." Sakura S. mumbled. "His vitality. is completely depleted. Darrell's out cold."  
  
Sakura K. looked at her sister with a worried look. "Of coarse that's bad, right?"  
  
The dark twin lifted her gaze to the ring. "I'm going next. We need a win fast and I can do that easily."  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen." the announcer spoke in awe, "that was the biggest combination attack I've ever seen! Yusuke just annihilated his opponent with a strong Spirit Wave punch and finished with a Spirit Gun at point blank range. Okay, I have to count, but it looks like it won't matter. 1. 2."  
  
Yusuke sighed heavily while putting his hands on his head.  
  
"I never thought I had to use up so much energy to beat someone like him," he mumbled quietly to himself. "I better be careful around these other guys."  
  
"9. and 10! That's it, everyone! Round 2 ends with Yusuke Urameshi overwhelming Darrell Markis." He turned to Yusuke and asked, "Now, Yusuke. Are you willing to go to another fight or are you going to switch?"  
  
Before Yusuke could answer, Hiei jumped into the ring and answered for him.  
  
"I'll be fighting next. Yusuke needs to recuperate from that little altercation if he wants to continue."  
  
"Since when did you care for my well-being?" Yusuke asked while standing up straight. "I'm just fine."  
  
Hiei scoffed. "Don't fool yourself. Your Spirit Energy is low. I can feel it. and she knows that, to, so I suggest you let me handle this one."  
  
"She?" Yusuke asked. He turned around and the darker of the Sakura twins went in position, ready to break the tiebreaker in her favor.  
  
"Okay. but just don't kill her. She's one of my only links to this Akuma case."  
  
"Don't worry. I won't hurt her too much."  
  
Hiei put his hands in his pockets and walked up to the teenage girl he was about to fight.  
  
"Onr next match is about to begin. Sakura Satsu will be fighting Hiei in the third round. Now, are you guys ready? Then. let's get started."  
  
End of Chapter 30 


	31. Uphill Battle

31. Uphill Battle  
  
Usually Sakura S. would get right into stance at the start of a fight but this time she stared at Hiei with as much coldness as Hiei gave her.  
  
"I'm no idiot, Hiei." she spoke up. "I know all about your insane speed."  
  
"So?" he replied. "After all the matches I've been in everyone in this pathetic excuse for a tournament knows that."  
  
"I also can sense a dark source of energy within you, Hiei."  
  
That caught Hiei's attention somewhat.  
  
"If I was still in my sister's body. I wouldn't stand much of a chance against you. but." Sakura got into her fighting stance as she finished. ".now I've a reason to go all out."  
  
"You might now some things about me but you don't know everything about me. If you did your whole team would forfeit the fight."  
  
"I'll just see for myself."  
  
"You know you two can start whenever you're ready," the announcer reminded.  
  
"Okay, I'm not holding off any longer," Sakura S. muttered as she braced herself, a black aura covering her body.  
  
{Interesting.} Hiei thought. {Her aura and attitude has been totally serious ever since Yusuke beat that kid. Such a dark power coming from a girl.}  
  
{I can't believe Hiei is going to fight a girl} Kuwabara thought to himself while looking on. {She might be a fighter but it still goes against my code. Hey. Wait a minute! Her aura is almost like Hiei's!}  
  
To add to his shock, Sakura S's body morphed into 7 images of herself. Each one warped around Hiei to form a circle. Hiei braced himself for whatever Sakura would throw at him.  
  
"This is my Modified Ashura Senka." all 7 Sakuras named. "Before, I could only warp to a place and that was it, but now."  
  
Suddenly one of the Sakura images from the side of Hiei charged up a Hadouken and fired. Hiei sensed it and jumped out the way of the blast.  
  
"I can use my after images to attack on their own," they finished as the Sakura behind Hiei performed a roundhouse kick. Hiei warped out of view behind the Sakura that just attacked him.  
  
SHING!!!  
  
Hiei slashed that Sakura with an insanely fast swipe of his sword. but the image just vanished into thin air.  
  
"You have to hit the real me to cause damage," Sakura informed Hiei.  
  
"Don't worry. It shouldn't be too hard to do that. These images can't defend themselves. so."  
  
Once again Hiei used his impressive speed to warp out of the remaining 6 Sakura's eyesight.  
  
Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing! Clang.  
  
Hiei swiped at all 6 images, destroying the first 5 while the remaining Sakura S. managed to block his sword with her right arm.  
  
"That's interesting." Kurama commented. "She actually managed to block Hiei's attack, even at that speed."  
  
"Normally I wouldn't use my sword on people like these in this tournament," Hiei explained, not lifting his sword from Sakura's arm. "You, on the other hand, are an exception."  
  
"I'm truly flattered," Sakura responded as she performed a small Shouoken that Hiei moved out the way of at normal speed. Hiei landed while staring at the Satsu girl and smiled slightly.  
  
{This will be a perfect target for my new little attack I've been working on.}  
  
Hiei grabbed the collar of his black overcoat and threw it off, revealing his muscular upper body. His midsection was heavily taped up and his right arm was scarred.  
  
"Wow." Sakura S. marveled. "You. I guess I really don't want to know about your background."  
  
"Tch! I don't need your criticism," Hiei scolded. "Just prepare to be defeated in the next 3 minutes."  
  
"You really are underestimating me." Sakura warned while bracing herself for Hiei's next attack. Both Hiei and Sakura S. stared at each other, Sakura on the defense while Hiei just stood still. He clenched his left fist. and within 5 seconds it erupted into a faint gray flame. A demonic smile crossed Hiei's face as he spoke to his opponent.  
  
"Now then. Let's see how you can withstand a few of my more powerful attacks."  
  
Sakura didn't say anything as Hiei let the firs grow. Suddenly Hiei's headband had a red outline. of an eyeball.  
  
"Spirit. of the Withering Flame!"  
  
Oh, man! That's the Jegan Eye! Yusuke yelled inside his head. I told him not to kill her!  
  
Hiei threw his arm forward and unleashed the gray flame to Sakura's direction. It rocketed towards the girl but just before it hit Sakura warped behind Hiei, charging her vigor into a blue sphere of energy.  
  
"Hiei! Behind you!" Yusuke called out.  
  
"Hadouken!" Sakura yelled out as she fires at Hiei's back. but she missed. Hiei vanished again. and Sakura S. sensed his energy above her. She jumped back, avoiding his sword strike and retaliated with a fierce punch that Hiei blocked with his sword. Instantly Hiei vanished again and Sakura warped to the far side of the ring.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Sakura attacked as soon as Hiei reappeared with her special move. Too bad she whiffed as he warped again as she went into the air. Hiei reappeared behind her and kicked her head in the back, sending her back to the canvas.  
  
Sakura used her arms to keep from falling fully and bounced to her feet, seeing Hiei land right in front of her.  
  
"Shunpukyaku!"  
  
Hiei heard Sakura call out her next attack from behind him and warped behind her, letting her miss the spin kick. He launched and used his sword to slash at her backside. but instead of feeling skin, he felt air.  
  
"What?" he asked as he saw the Sakura in front of him vanish into thin air.  
  
"That move!" he noticed while turning around and meeting Sakura's fist.  
  
"Midare Zakura!"  
  
"Hey, Kurama!" Yusuke yelled to his direction. "Shouldn't Hiei be creaming this girl? She just pulled off a super combo on him.. He should be faster than that!"  
  
"I know." Kuramma responded coolly. "He must be planning something."  
  
"Shouoken!" Sakura S. yelled out, finishing Hiei with her uppercut move. Hiei flipped in mid-air and landed while kneeling. He looked up to see Sakura land on the ground. As she stood up, Kurame couldn't help but notice something strange about her.  
  
"Yusuke," he called, "look at the fighter Hiei's fighting so far."  
  
Yusuke followed his command and looked at Sakura S. She only received two hits from Hiei but she looked as if she was hit by the multitude of attack that she threw. She was breathing hard, putting her hands on her knees, and her energy was going down at a steady pace.  
  
"What's with her?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"I don't know. She had the advantage when she nailed her Midare Zakura. but."  
  
Kurama remembered something crucial: Hiei's previous attack.  
  
"It was his Spirit of the Withering Flame technique," Kurama acknowledged. "He somehow managed to connect it."  
  
"But I thought she warped out of the way," Yusuke pointed out.  
  
"No. It just gazed her as her body dematerialized."  
  
Sakura overheard everything and glared at Hiei.  
  
"You. What did you do to me?!"  
  
"So you just figured it out. but you don't realize that my move activated when you first attacked me. Your Midare Zakura damaged me and as a result my flame causes your energy to steadily dwindle until you lose consciousness."  
  
Sakura growled. Her energy was slipping away all because she attacked and now she can't retrieve it.  
  
I got to end this match fast. Only one way to do that.  
  
Hiei looked on as Sakura's aura reappeared and 3 images of came out her body. This time the two to the right warped towards Hiei, leaving one steadily breathing hard through her mouth. One image appeared right in front of Hiei and attacked with a few random attacks, each one Hiei dodged easily.  
  
"This trick is getting old, woman," Hiei said while warping behind the fake Sakura, sword in hand.  
  
SHING!!!  
  
"One more to go." Hiei muttered as he warped towards the second image Sakura left behind. He prepare to slash it but oddly as soon as he sliced, she parried it, throwing his body off guard.  
  
"Shun."  
  
Hiei recovered but it was too late. Sakura grabbed him.  
  
"But I thought. she." Yusuke muttered. He looked over to see that the real Sakura Satsu was. and was shocked to see that she disappeared.  
  
"It was a double diversion," Kurama yelled out. "She warped along with the image Hiei destroyed to use the last on eto appear like she was recovering.  
  
Kurama stopped as everything in eyesight turned black. and blows were landed. Hard blows.  
  
".Goku. SATSU!!!"  
  
In a flash everything was back to normal. Sakura was standing over Hiei's now battered body, her expression was dark.  
  
"I had. to pull that out." she panted as the announcer of the match didn't bother to tell what happened and went straight to the count.  
  
"Hiei. He killed so many demons." Yusuke continued to mumble under his breath, "but he loses. to a schoolgirl??"  
  
"Wait, Yusuke," Kurama said. "There is more than you see at first glance."  
  
Hiei chuckled at the count of 5 as he warped to his feet, hands in his pockets. Sakura's eyes were wide in surprise at the turn of events.  
  
"Your Shungokusatsu. is an interesting technique," Hiei complemented as the eye in his forehead glowed through his headband. "However, there is something missing. isn't it?"  
  
Sakura just stared at him. "You got up. that quickly from that? I don't. understand."  
  
"You need to realize that I'm much stronger than you." he continued while pointing at the Satsu girl. "You might be strong in your own right. but your energy. You compress it. To win a battle against me you must let everything you got out and fast. Remember that when you wake from your slumber."  
  
At the end of Hiei's sentence, his Spirit of the Withering Flame covered Sakura's body. and in the next moment, she was out. cold.  
  
"Oh man. This isn't good." Hinata muttered to her friend. "Our two strongest fighters just went down the toilet. Now what?"  
  
"We have no choice." she replied. "We're going to have to fight. and pray that neither Hiei nor Yusuke is our opponents."  
  
"That's the end of round three with Hiei being the victor," the announcer declared. "Now, will Hiei stay in and take the next fighter or will he switch?"  
  
"Don't bother. I'm switching," Hiei immediately responded while exiting the ring. "I think I've proven my point."  
  
"If that's the case, then I shall be first," the calm, red head fighter Kurama said while jumping in. As he stood in the ring, eyeing the two remaining girls, Sakura K. sighed.  
  
"I'm going in," she declared. "I might not win, but at least we can try to see what his moves are."  
  
"Okay. Be careful."  
  
----- -----  
  
"Man! He has no taste whatsoever! I can't believe Hiei would do that to a girl like that! The nerve!"  
  
Boton sweatdropped at Keiko's reaction to the previous fight. She never seen her so steamed unless it involved Yusuke.  
  
"Uh. I don't think that's the smart thing to do," Boton warned the girl next to her, but it fell on deaf ears.  
  
"She was sorta pretty too. for someone of that skin color."  
  
"Now I know why Yusuke has so many troubles with her. She's single- minded."  
  
----- -----  
  
Sakura looked at Kurama and something deep in her stomach cringed. She just knew something was up with this quiet fighter. Even though the fight already started she couldn't get into her fighting stance.  
  
"What is it about him.?"  
  
"Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you in any grave way. Let's just fight to see who the better one is, right?"  
  
Sakura was surely surprised at Kurama's speech.  
  
"You're. kidding."  
  
Kurama shook his head while reaching into his pink jacket and unsheaved. a rose. Sakura's shock only grew.  
  
{What's with this guy?}  
  
Kurama then threw the rose towards Sakura. She caught it but.  
  
"OW!"  
  
She accidentally pricked her hand on a throne, almost dropping it. She looked at her left hand and saw a drip of blood rush out.  
  
"Crap." she mumbled as she looked at Kurama. He already pulled out another rose. and risked it around.  
  
"Rose Whip!!"  
  
The rose extended into a fullsized whip, thrones covering the whole thing. Sakura immediately took a defensive stance, but she wasn't fast enough. Kurama, demonstrating his own burst of speed, warped in and wrapped his whip around her neck. The thorns sunk deep into her throat, making her cry out loudly. Kurama then went behind her back, releasing his grip on her neck. Sakura dropped to her knees, checking her swollen neck, and found out that blood did start to rush from the wounds.  
  
{Oh. no.}  
  
Thinking fast, Sakura turned around and ran towards Kurama, fist at her side.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Just before she got close, Kurama sidestepped quickly but didn't attack. Sakura then landed while turning around and performing a sweep kick. Kurama also evaded that one and also didn't attack. Sakura kept her pace up but every time she attacked Kurama would get away. The game of cat and mouse lasted for about 1 minute and a half with Sakura not landing a single attack and with Kurama not even trying to.  
  
"Kurama. Why aren't you even trying?" Sakura asked as she took a second to rest. "I know you could have hit me so many times before but you didn't. Why?"  
  
"If you really must know." he answered while putting his hands in his pockets, "I already won the match way before it started."  
  
"What?!?"  
  
"If you can recall, picture the rose that I threw to you. You pricked yourself, correct?"  
  
Sakura nodded.  
  
"There was a poison in that rose, but a non-lethal version. My rose whip was just to liven things up."  
  
Sakura's eyes widened. "What. does this. poison do.?"  
  
"Simple. You'll pass out within the next. 2 seconds."  
  
Sakura stuttered her response to that.  
  
"B. b-but wait! I didn't."  
  
Too late. She instantly lost consciousness, falling where she stood to the canvas. Hinata, who was now the last one on the team left, had already made up her mind about her next fight way before the cat and mouse game.  
  
{I don't. stand a chance against these three. I'll just be hurting myself.}  
  
As the announcer finished her best friends' count, Hinata slowly rolled into the ring, walking towards the announcer and catching him just before he could talk.  
  
"Excuse me. but since I'm the only one left on my team and they still have three insanely strong fighters on their side, I would like to state my withdrawal from this match."  
  
The announcer, surprisingly, gave a shocked expression. "Are you sure? Once you say this your team automatically loses this fight and since this is the last match before the championship rounds, your team might not make the rankings."  
  
Hinata's expression was grim but she still spoke calmly. "It's very hard for me to say this in front of a stadium. but look at the probabilities. I wouldn't stand a chance against three fighters like them back to back to back, and they weren't even trying their hardest and they still beat my teammates. I'm sorry. but I know my limitations."  
  
"Okay. Hinata officially surrenders for her team so Yusuke's team wins by default 3 to 1."  
  
She sighed heavily and rushed over to see about her friend.  
  
"Oh man. This is bad. and I don't know how to heal people like she could."  
  
"Let me see her."  
  
Hinata looked up to see Boton start to kneel down in front of her and put an arm out infront of Sakura's neck. A yellow shock of energy came out of it and surrounded Sakura's body and within a few seconds Sakura's wounds disappeared quickly. She moaned as she regained her consciousness and sat up.  
  
"You okay, Sakura?" Hinata asked, full of concern.  
  
"Yeah. I guess." Sakura K. responded as she looked up at the woman who got her back to speed. "Did you.?"  
  
"Yep! It's no problem, though," Boton answered quickly. "You probably needed it."  
  
Sakura smiled briefly before remembering something.  
  
"Boton, could you do my sister while I do my boyfriend?" she asked politely. Boton nodded and Sakura slid out the ring and went towards Darrell's wrecked body. Her aura surrounded her quickly as she started the healing process. and she got it finished within 10 seconds. Darrell's eye's opened up slowly. laid eyes on Sakura, who came next to her to see what was up with him. and surprisingly, he clenched his fist in anger.  
  
"Why.? I don't understand. What's wrong with me.?"  
  
"Darrell.?" Sakura started, but before she could say anything else, Darrell bolted up out the bench and ran full speed out the stadium.  
  
'Hey! Wait up!" she called while running towards his direction but she stopped when a hand held her back.  
  
"Let him go, sis. He needs to work this out on his own."  
  
"But."  
  
"Don't worry. He'll be fine."  
  
Sakura K. sighed as she looked at the pavement where Darrell ran and stared at it. On the ground in front of her was a solitary drop of water splashed on the ground.  
  
{He's crying. Darrell. please be okay.}  
  
End of Second Archive. 


	32. Third Archive: Demon Resurfaces

THIRD ARCHIVE: THE THREE SUPERPOWERS  
  
32. Demon Resurfaces  
  
NEXT DAY.  
  
{Damn. Dammit all. Why did this happen to me? What IS this happening to me? I felt as if everything that represents me is falling apart. My pride as a fighter, especially, is shredded... I don't believe this.}  
  
Darrell found himself wondering aimlessly in an empty part of the park next to the stadium. The finals were due to start in two hours, about 7 P.M.. but frankly he didn't care. He didn't care if his team did make it to the final matches or not. All he could think about was his pathetic state that he was in now. He punched a tree full force, putting a dent in it and ignoring the pain that came with his action.  
  
{What happened to all my power plays? My psyches? My counters? Most of all. what happened to me actually enjoying the fight? In almost all my matches. I wanted to hurt someone very badly. This is stupid.}  
  
He punched the tree again, this time letting his fist rest on the tree bark. He stared at it with so much hatred and sorrow that his eyes started to tear up.  
  
"THIS IS SO STUUUPPIIIDDD!!!!" he finally exploded, his aura erupting out his fist and burning the tree until it hit the pavement of the park path and dwindled. He then dropped to his knees, exhausted from all the worrying he was doing. He sighed deeply a few times then fell to his hands and knees, staring at the grass surrounding him. Only one thing was on his mind.  
  
{Why.?}  
  
----- -----  
  
"We were so close, Sakura." Hinata said as the T.V. news broadcast just went off. It was stating the teams that were going to be in the final battles. and their team wan't in the roster. A heavy silence filled the room as all three girls let it sink in. Finally the dark Sakura clenched her fist and swung it into the coffee table in front of her, almost shattering it.  
  
"We were so freaking close!" she repeated Hinata's quote, starting to sob a bit. "All that work. If only we won that match again Kyo's team. We could have taken the loss to Yusuke and still make it."  
  
Sakura K. didn't say a word. Her expression said it all. She sighed and got up, walking towards her bedroom and locking the door. At the same time, Sakura S. warped from the couch and through the door, unable to let Hinata see her cry. Hinata just lay back in the sofa and turned the channel, too depressed to think about the tournament.  
  
---- -----  
  
Darrell found himself getting off the grass. He must have gone to sleep after his outburst and didn't know it. He looked around, found himself once again in solitude and lay back down on his face. He didn't have a will to do anything but rot.  
  
{This is what I get. This is where I belong. I can't show myself to my friends anymore. They probably wouldn't forgive me, anyway.}  
  
He stayed there in quiet for another 10 minutes, his mind a complete blank. He just wanted to die. There was nothing else for him to do.  
  
{I'm sorry. Sakura.}  
  
----- ------  
  
"Sakura? Sakura? Are you here?"  
  
Sakura K. finally found the nerve to open the door to her hotel room. On the other side was Athena, wearing her red Psycho Soldier outfit from last year's tournament and a concerned look on her face.  
  
"Hi, Athena." Sakura K. mouthed out unenthusiastically. "What brings you here?"  
  
"I just wanted to see what was happening with you guys. I thought I'd see you at the stadium checking out the finals but..."  
  
Sakura cut her off. "Athena. The finals are the last thing on my mind right now."  
  
Athena's look grew in intensity. "You're a wreck. Let me come in. You can't be feeling well."  
  
Sakura let her other friend in and as Athena went into the kitchen area to get her something to eat, Sakura K. sat down on her sofa. After a while Athena brought her some juice while asking, "What's wrong Sakura? I want to know."  
  
Sakura wouldn't open her mouth. She looked to the side, eyeing nothing in particular. Athena was really worried now.  
  
{This is TOTALLY not like her. Whatever happened she sure isn't acting her normal perky self. It must be serious.}  
  
"Sakura."  
  
Sakura. in a flash, told Athena EVERYTHING: the two sudden losses, the Morrigan incident, Darrell's twisted attitude, her sister's disappearance about 2 hours ago. As she did this, she started crying, almost uncontrollably, and Athena had to stop her.  
  
"Sakura, please! You have to calm down. You're going to have a mental breakdown if you keep thinking about this stuff."  
  
Sakura sniffed a bit and looked up into Athena's eyes. "If Karin saw me like this I bet she wouldn't want to speak to me again. I'm acting way out of my character."  
  
"Don't worry. I'm here. You can talk about anything with me."  
  
"Okay. I'll try."  
  
----- -----  
  
{Damn.}  
  
It was getting really dark in the park next to the stadium and on one solitary bench Darrell sat by his lonesome, drowning in his own misery. His performance versus Yusuke still haunted him, even worse of that of Morrigan's seducing plan.  
  
"I wasn't even close."  
  
He put a hand on his forehead and hung it low. A full day couldn't rid him of his despair. It was a bad time to be him.  
  
SHING!!!  
  
Darrell's eyes widened in an instant. He sensed it. a large source of Evil Energy very close by. It was also closing in fast. He sat up and looked into the direction of the surge and as soon as he did it disappeared. He didn't let his guard down as the same power appeared in the opposite direction. Darrell stood up and it once again vanished.  
  
{Its close.he thought. I think I know who it is.}  
  
Another signal. from right behind him arouse. Darrell rolled to his right, just as a shadow figure landed, just missing an attack. Darrell faced it. and he knew that his assumption was right.  
  
"Akuma." he said under his breath while getting into a fighting stance. Akuma stared at him for a while. then a small grin crossed his face.  
  
"Yes. It's you; the kid who beat me a month ago. This time. you'll perish."  
  
{That's a lot of talk coming from him} Darrell thought, {but all this energy I'm feeling. He could seriously back that up.}  
  
"I also see that the girl isn't with you," Akuma mentioned, his grin widening. "Without her, you aren't at full strength, am I right?"  
  
Darrell left that unanswered. He really didn't want to think about Sakura or anyone else at the moment. Frankly, he really didn't want to be bothered with Akuma right now. His self-esteem was thrashed. and the last thing he needed was a duel to the death.  
  
"A true warrior's strength should come from the self. Depending on her just shows how weak you are."  
  
That sunk home. Darrell considered all his matches in the past. and he recalled that he had lost much more fights when it wasn't for Sakura's inspiration. He couldn't get himself to fight. for himself.  
  
"Now. it's time to we finished that match from last month. Now. see the true form of the Satsu no Hadou."  
  
A red Satsu aura surrounded him at the end of his sentence. Immediately Darrell knew something was wrong.  
  
{Wait a minute. I just realized that Akuma is in his normal form. If he gets to his true form. and if what Rose said was true. then.}  
  
Akuma's aura erupted into the air, Kanji letters appearing in it. His gi changes to a familiar purple. but his eyes and hair. changes from red to white.  
  
Darrell was in shock.  
  
{Oh. my. Akuma's power. is way too high! I got to stop him, NOW!}  
  
Darrell didn't even bother to charge up and quickly dashed in but the instant he took his first step, Akuma warped. Darrell stopped on a dime and turned around only to get nailed in the face by Akuma's foot in a two- hit axe kick. Darrell's head was sent to his stomach level and Akuma followed with a Tatsumaki Zanku Kyaku, only this one was covered with electricity, shocking his foe. He then followed with a Gou-Shoryuken, fueled by Satsu flames. Darrell hit the ground and the flames extinguished but stayed down, writhing from the pain.  
  
"If this hurts so badly then you don't deserve to live," Akuma mumbled as he jumped into the air then sharply dove down with his food down into Darrell's chest. Luckily Darrell rolled out the way and got up while swinging his leg out for a sweep. Akuma blocked, leaving Darrell's leg out and him very vulnerable.  
  
Darrell hurried to put up a defense but his position was too ackward. Akuma threw his fist into his chest, planting Darrell back to the ground. Akuma then threw a Gou-Hadouken at next-to-point-blank range. Darrell couldn't guard in time and ate the attack. and even if he could, the blast was too big. He fully laid out on the ground, gasping for air.  
  
"Ha! Is this all you have!? I can't believe that you managed to defeat me."  
  
Akuma reached up and picked up the young fighter by the neck and raised him high. He grinned, focusing on adding to his foe's pain.  
  
"This is your end, boy. Prepare yourself."  
  
----- -----  
  
Athena and Sakura were talking for a good fifteen minutes, letting Sakura get all her emotions out in the open. She provided as much comfort as she could muster. but then Sakura came to a different subject. about Darrell.  
  
"Ever since he lost to Yusuke he's been so hard on himself. I haven't seen him ever since our match yesterday. I wonder if he's okay."  
  
"Sakura, I'm pretty sure Darrell's just clearing his head," Athena replied while putting a hand on her shoulder. "Sometimes people can get like that. Kensou is the same way."  
  
"I guess."  
  
Sakura looked at the carpet for a few more seconds before looking her friend in the eyes.  
  
"You know, Athena. these feelings for him are sort of weird. I never think that way about anyone else. You think that he's that special to me?"  
  
"Why are you even asking that question? You already know the answer."  
  
This wasn't Athena responding. It was Hinata, who just came in through the hotel room door. Sakura kept her eyes on her as she sat down on the last available spot on the sofa.  
  
"Listen, Sakura. You and Darrell are in love with each other. There isn't just boyfriend and girlfriend by the way I look at it. It's normal to feel that way about him. You share a bond. That's your link to him. You can tell how he's feeling right now. As a matter of fact, try it now."  
  
Sakura gave Hinata a look. "Right. now? I don't know. I have no idea where he is right now."  
  
"Just try it, she insisted. "You'll find him."  
  
Sakura sighed and focused her energy. Her normal blue aura appeared around her as she searched a sea of auras all around the building. Either they were all blue or white, not a match at all. Sakura expanded her reach, looking into the next space near the building besides the stadium: the park. After about a second, she stopped. There was a faint orange aura. right next to a huge red one. and it seemed to be slipping.  
  
Sakura's eyes shot open and she stood up in a flash.  
  
"Sakura! What's wrong?" Athena asked. Instantly Sakura bolted towards the door. Just before she left, she answered Athena's question.  
  
"It's Darrell. I found him. but it seems as if Akuma found him first."  
  
"WHAT!?" both Athena and Hinata belted. Sakura was about to run right out the door but a hand grabbed her shoulder in the hallway and spun her around. Sakura came face to face with her Satsu twin.  
  
"I heard everything you just said," Sakura S. said quickly. "Hold on. I'll warp you there."  
  
------ -----  
  
"You are a true disgrace, boy. I think it's about time you perished."  
  
Darrell was a wreck on the dark grass. The new and improved Shin Akuma was way too powerful and fast for him to even scratch. Blood flowed freely from his open wounds. He was surprised he was still alive.  
  
Darrell coughed numerous times before saying, "Why. don't you just. kill me now.?"  
  
Akuma paused a tiny bit. This kid was the first not to beg for his life before he killed.  
  
"I see you want the death of a warrior. You don't deserve it. but I will give it to you."  
  
Darrell looked on to see Akuma get into a special stance, one knee up to his wasit and a fist on the knee, the other arm across his chest.  
  
{No. way. That's the. Shungoku. satsu.!}  
  
Akuma close in and Darrell couldn't do anything but brace himself.  
  
So this is how it ends.  
  
"Shinku."  
  
"Shinku."  
  
Just as Akuma made the grab, both heard twin voices in stereo from the left and right. Akuma stopped and looked to his left.  
  
"HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
"HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
.and got blasted by huge energy attacks from both sides, making him drop Darrell. Darrell gasped loudly on the ground, hyperventilating from the fact that he almost died, just as a figure stepped over him.  
  
"Darrell! Are you okay? Answer me!"  
  
He breathed deeply and looked up, catching sight of his girlfriend's worried expression. He tried to speak but Sakura stopped him by putting a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Try not to speak. I've got to heal you and I don't think it'll work on a dead guy."  
  
She focused herself and let her energy refuel her almost most dead boyfriend. Slowly, Darrell's wounds started to close slightly and after 10 seconds, even though he still looked like he went through a meat grinder, his energy was back to speed. Sakura backed away as he sat up then fully stood up.  
  
"You okay?" she asked. Darrell didn't make eye-contact; he just stared to his side. He sighed and closed his eyes briefly before looking into her eyes.  
  
"G. gomen na sai, Sakura." he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. Sakura gave a slightly shocked expression.  
  
"Darrell. You never said anything so fluidly in Japanese before. and why are you saying you're sorry? You didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"I guess. I just needed to. say that. Honestly, I don't know what to say to you. I just feel. sort of stupid right now. making you worry so much."  
  
Sakura stared at him for a little while longer and closed her own eyes.  
  
"Darrell?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Forgive me. for what I'm about to do next."  
  
POW!!!  
  
Sakura decked Darrell right in the face with a strong punch, making his head jolt back. He brought it back and held his mouth, wide-eyed.  
  
"Listen. I want you to do this one favor for me. Please don't let me hear you say that negative stuff. I don't want you to worry about yourself, me, or anything else. You'll wind up dead if you keep up like this."  
  
Darrell just stared at her.  
  
{She. really must care for me to say that.}  
  
"Promise me."  
  
"Okay. I promise, Sakura."  
  
"Guys!! I could use some HELP here!!"  
  
Both looked at Sakura's dark twin, who just was stalling Shin Akuma long enough for Darrell to heal. The demon threw a Gou-Hadouken at her that she teleported away from. Sakura S. came out her Ashura Senka and gasped as Akuma reappeared right in her face.  
  
"Shou!"  
  
His fist lit up into Satsu flames, indicating a Gou-Shoryuken, but Sakura managed to grab his fist and countered.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Six hits later, Akuma was sent into the air but he air recovered and threw two Hadoukens downward.  
  
{Zanku Hadouken.} she thought as she backed away again as they hit the earth, leaving twin craters.  
  
"You are annoying me." Akuma's voice rang out as Sakura saw him disappear. Her eye twitched, wondering what was next.  
  
"IDIOT!!!"  
  
She looked up. and gasped. Instantly Akuma came down, covered with yellow energy, and slammed his arm down, creating a huge shockwave through the ground. The other two shield thin eyes for a second and let the wave pass. When they did look again, Sakura S. was florred but no sign of Akuma.  
  
"You're next, boy." Akuma's voice rang out again, but Darrell didn't notice.  
  
"Sakura!!" he yelled. He was about to run but Sakura K. held him back.  
  
"Wait. He wants us to go over there."  
  
"But she."  
  
"My sister is fine," she reassured. She paused suddenly, looked up, then yelled "GET DOWN!!!"  
  
Sakura shoved Darrell away and quickly threw a Hadouken straight upwards. It traveled for a second before hitting its target, namely Akuma. He fell to the ground but quickly regained his footing. He warped towards Sakura and she braced herself.  
  
"Darrell! Move out the way and focus on getting your strength back. I'll take on Akuma."  
  
"But."  
  
Sakura no longer listened as she blocked Akuma's attack and countered. Darrell stared at her for a while. then shook his head.  
  
{Come on, Darrell! You have a job to do. The stronger you are, the stronger Sakura gets.}  
  
As he concentrated to regain his vigor, Akuma struck Sakura K. with a strike to the body. She backed away, noticing how strong his attacks were, and delivered a roundhouse kick. Akuma grabbed her sneaker right in mid- performance and raised his hand up, getting ready to smash her leg. He brought it down but Sakura managed to move herself so that the blow didn't break her leg. She fell to the ground, getting back from Akuma to recuperate but he wasn't going to let that happen.  
  
"Messatsu. Gou-Hadou!!!"  
  
Skuma threw up an insanely large blast of energy about his own height and it sped towards his victim. Sakura gasped and tried to defend.  
  
"Shakunetsu Shinku. HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
Within an instant Akuma's blast was gone, totaled by a flaming orange-red Hadouken.  
  
"Arg. I knew that I should have taken him out while I had the chance," he mumbled as he looked up to the side. Darrell was up, his red-orange aura surrounding him instead of the golden one.  
  
"Akuma." he started, "there is no way I'm going to let you hurt my friends. I don't care if I'm not 100%. I'll make sure I defeat you once and for all."  
  
"Such bold words coming from such a pathetic fighter." Akuma sneered. "You aren't even at 60% strength. You're finished."  
  
"Oh, really?"  
  
Darrell focused him energy once again. His aura pulsed, flashing between flaming red to golden yellow. After a while, it changed back to gold fully but his energy didn't increase that well.  
  
"Heh, just as I expected from a young fool like you." Akuma continued.  
  
"You didn't let me finish."  
  
Suddenly Sakura K's aura shone at the same gold tint as Darrell's.  
  
"Hey!" she gasped. "I didn't do that."  
  
"Now Akuma," Darrell continued, "this is our bond that we share. No power alive can match it, let alone beat it. As long as we have each other. then we won't lose."  
  
"Bah! You're even a bigger fool than I-"  
  
Akuma never finished. Darrell dashed in and punched his mouth so fast that the demon fell backwards, more from the pain than the surprise. He quickly regained his balance and looked at Darrell, who was eyeing him with intensity.  
  
"You don't stand a chance." the kid declared.  
  
{Impossible. How could he regain so much vigor in such a little period? Maybe the fool's bond is for real. No matter. He has no idea what he's messing with.}  
  
End of Chapter 32 


	33. Triumphant Duo

33. Triumphant Duo  
  
"Sakura. Watch my back and I'll watch yours, got that?" Darrell called.  
  
"Yeah, gotcha." Sakura K. responded, still thinking on how Darrell got so much energy back after about 15 seconds or so. Then again, she sort of knew that he borrowed it from her. Both went into their fighting stances, side by side and eyed their adversary.  
  
"You kids are so naïve." Akuma started. "Do you really think that both of you can take me out?"  
  
"You should shut up," Darrell said boldly. "I've had enough of you preaching to me about how to fight. I thought you were a killer."  
  
Akuma's eyes widened to extreme after that quote. "Fool!"  
  
He teleported right into Darrell's face, ready to deck him but Darrell caught his fist with ease.  
  
"Why didn't I notice all these openings before?" he asked himself. "I guess. I was feeling to down in the dumps to notice. but now, I know. Sakura IS my strength, Akuma! Get this through your head! That's my power, right there!"  
  
And with that, Darrell uppercutted Akuma into the air with a close-ranged Shakunetsuken Upper. and Sakura followed up.  
  
"HADOUKEN!!" she yelled as she fired a huge Hadouken right upwards, sending Akuma into the far side of the area. Darrell followed in hot pursuit, charging up a Shakunetsuken Sword. Just as Akuma got up, he threw his sword right into his stomach. Well not exactly. Once again Darrell met the Tatsumaki Zanku Kyaku to Gou-Shoryuken. but somehow this one didn't hurt so much. Darrell recovered in air and struck Akuma on descent, making him reel. Darrell stood his ground, waiting on Akuma's next move.  
  
"Ugh. You.!" the demon let out, charging up another Gou-Hadouken. but never did.  
  
"SHOUOKEN!"  
  
Sakura came from the side, hitting him out of his special move. Akuma went airborne and threw two Zanku Hadouken at her. As he landed. he came face to face with Darrell, who was wearing a big smile.  
  
"Hi. Have we met somewhere before?"  
  
Akuma twitched at that and tried to deck him in the face. He forgot something, though: Darrell's sword. Darrell put it up and immediately countered, stunning his foe. He then withdrew the sword and grabbed Akuma by one arm and threw about 5 punches to his gut, then went behind his back, putting Akuma in a Nelson lock.  
  
"Sakura! Let him have it!"  
  
Sakura immediately came in front of Akuma.  
  
"Now. let me introduce you to my own little take on my sister's move. Haru."  
  
Everything went white and Sakura let loose her Harugokusatsu. After she was done, Akuma was grounded, Sakura brushed her hands clean, and Darrell just had his back to Akuma, looking at him over his shoulder.  
  
"That's how it's done!" both teens taunted at the same time. Darrell then turned around, looking at Akuma. He looked like he was out cold.  
  
"We'll. he looks like he's finished." he said cautiously. "What about you?"  
  
"I don't sense anything." she responded. A silence passed before she went on with, "Now what?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Instantly, Akuma disappeared, catching both off guard.  
  
"What the?!?" Darrell gasped. A golden yellow glow came from above them. and in a flash, he was hanging from Akuma's bloodied fist, Sakura laid out on the ground.  
  
"You. You brats underestimated me." Akuma growled. "Now I will show absolutely NO MERCY!!!"  
  
His other fist went into a Satsu flame and he prepared to drive right into his body. but something made him stop. It was a laugh. coming from Darrell.  
  
"You aren't what you're cut out to be."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"You might be concentrating on me. but aren't you forgetting someone?"  
  
"The girl is finished! What are you babbling about?!"  
  
"Actually, she's fine. and I'm not talking about her. How about. her dark side.?"  
  
At the same time, Akuma received a huge blow from behind, dropping his victim. He whirled around to see where it came from. and in an instant everything went black and hits landed. Eighteen hits later, Sakura S. was standing over a jacked up Shin Akuma, smiling.  
  
"I can't believe he was so gullible. You purposely let yourself get hit by that just to let me get my two cents in. Thanks, guys."  
  
"No problem," Sakura K. said while getting up. "That hurts, though.'  
  
Darrell laughed a bit. "Yeah. but. now I think I have something to say to a certain individual."  
  
He went over to Akuma, who was still out, and said, "Listen. I really don't want to be bothered with you. Why don't you crawl back in the hole that you spawned from and stay there? I have no idea why you're after us. but now you know that you can't beat us. I'm outta here."  
  
Darrell then turned around and faced the two Sakuras and said, "Let's go. This battle is enough for me."  
  
"Same here," Sakura S. added and they started to leave.  
  
SWOOSH!!  
  
The wind between Darrell and Sakura rose up high as a huge purple Hadouken slashed between them, making them stop. Of course it came from a severely wounded Shin Akuma that just wouldn't give up.  
  
"I. will not. TOLERATE THIS!!!" Akuma yelled. "I will most surely rather die than lose to a bunch of kids! You will NOT escape."  
  
Darrell and Sakura K. didn't turn around. Instead a single gold aura surrounded their bodies.  
  
".We. have had. ENOUGH OF YOU, AKUMA!" both said simultaneously as they faced the demon. "It's time WE FINISHED YOU OFF!!!"  
  
Akuma stomped on the ground, a large red aura erupting off his back.  
  
"MESSATSU."  
  
Neither teen said anything. They have seen his use this move over and over again. They just laid back, getting into twin Hadouken stances.  
  
"GOU."  
  
Akuma charged up his Hadouken in his hands.  
  
"HADOU!!!"  
  
He launched. but the two remained in stance. A red surge of energy entered Darrell's hands. and a pink one in Sakura's.  
  
"Shakunetsu." Darrell started.  
  
A pause as they saw the Hadouken come closer.  
  
"Shinku."  
  
"Nekketsu."  
  
Darrell almost got out of stance as he heard Sakura call out the first name of her super. Correction. This wasn't a super combo. It was a meteor combo. He smiled. and called out.  
  
"HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
"HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
Both fired at the same time, mimicking the mixture Darrell and Ryu used to defeat him last time. Just before Darrell saw the mix, he looked at Sakura's Nekketsu Hadouken. It was WAY larger than her normal Shinku Hadouken, even besting Darrell's blast in size.  
  
{Wonder where she learned that at.}  
  
It collided with the Messatsu Gou-Hadou. and it wasn't a contest. It quickly destroyed the blast. and by the time Shin Akuma noticed it, it was too late. He didn't even get to scream. The blast was too fast. It collided. and his body was torn apart by the vigor. When it exploded, the flash was so huge that all three teenagers cover their eyes. It ended within 5 seconds. and when they looked at the spot where Akuma was, all they saw was a huge Satsu aura hovering in the air.  
  
"What the.?" Sakura K. let out. "Sis. Is that.?"  
  
"Yes. That's Akuma's energy." Sakura S. responded.  
  
"Now what?" the light twin asked.  
  
"I tell you what we're going to do." Darrell said while charging up another Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken. "We destroy it before it moves. and we have another freak to worry about."  
  
"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to do that."  
  
All three gasped at the totally new voice. It was male and it came from. all over.  
  
"Who's there!?" Sakura S. yelled out in the woods.  
  
"Heh. You shall see."  
  
Suddenly the aura started to move to the right, as if it was being sucked in somewhere. The teens looked to its end path. and gasped at a large shadow near a tree. It's hand was outstretched, getting ready to claim the energy from it's own.  
  
"NO!!! I WON"T LET YOU GET THAT!!!" Darrell screamed as he hurried to charge his Hadouken and fired. It traveled as fast as it could, aiming for the energy rather than the man. but it was too late. The glow surrounded the figure, smashing the Hadouken out the way. All the three could do was stare in horror as the man's power went up... Way up...  
  
"Who... are you...?" Sakura K. asked.  
  
After the absorption was complete the man gave his reply.  
  
"I was Rugal Bernstein... but now... you can call me... Ultimate Rugal..."  
  
That's all for now. Tell me how you like it so far (please no flames.) Chapter 34 "Enter Ultimate Rugal" is coming soon. 


	34. Enter Ultimate Rugal

34. Enter Ultimate Rugal  
  
"I really don't need this." Darrell complained as he stood at the new dark advisary. "Another superpower to deal with."  
  
Rugal's skin color, which was normal before the absorption, was now the same color of Akuma's. He even came with his own Satsu aura. but this was different. It felt fueled by something.  
  
"I take it that you are going to try to stop me." Rugal said as a grin rose on his face. "You were very fortunate to defeat Akuma once and for all. but I shall be much harder."  
  
"Okay, guys," Sakura K. started while detting into her fighting stance, "Keep your guard up. He's no ordinary fighter."  
  
"I sorta noticed that already, sis," Sakura S. answered.  
  
Rugal smiled again before bringing his right arm up.  
  
"Reppuken!"  
  
He swung it down, creating a ground projectile that rocketed to the three.  
  
"Scatter!" Darrell yelled out and the three dodged in different directions, Sakura S. jumping straight up and charging up.  
  
"Hadouken!' she yelled as she threw her own blast at Rugal. Rugal just laughed, putting up a green barrier in front of him. The Hadouken bounced off it. right at Darrell.  
  
"What the.?!" he gasped, quickly putting up his guard and successfully blocking it in time. He heard another laugh from Rugal. and felt pain in his backside. Rugal teleported behind him and jumped into the air with a kick with a white streak behind it. It felt as if someone took a sword, a real one, and sliced him along his back. Darrell hit the ground, eating grass, and his shirt had a ripped slash along the back.  
  
{Shit! Darrell's down!} Sakura S. thought. She used her Ashura Senka to warp to the side of Rugal, preparing herself.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Rugal barely saw the Satsu girl rush him and put both arms out at his sides.  
  
"Kaiser."  
  
Sakura sensed him building energy and tried to stop but it was too late.  
  
"Wave!!"  
  
The tall man in the blood red suit launched a huge blast of purple energy and nailed Sakura, sending her back. He then quickly warped and followed with a strong backhand, then grabbed her with the same arm.  
  
"Shi ne!!" he yelled as he rushed and slammed her against a huge tree, causing it to erupt with his energy into the air, a skull flashing within it. Sakura S. as done with, laid out in the debris and gasping for air.  
  
{Who. is this freak!?} Sakura K. asked inside her head. She was about to pick him off from a distance if it wasn't for Darrell coming from behind, making another flame sword.  
  
"Eat this!" her boyfriend as he jumped into the air, ready to slash Rugal in the back. and Sakura took that as her cue. She charged up, a blue sphere appearing in her hands.  
  
"Shinku."  
  
She waited until Rugal began to face Darrell and fired.  
  
"HADOUKEN!!"  
  
Meanwhile, Rugal met Darrell's sword as he planted it right on his shoulder. but for some odd reason it didn't slash through.  
  
"What??"  
  
"You're weakening aren't you?" Rugal smirked as he grabbed the 'blade' of Darrell's sword and threw it to his side. Since Darrell still had a handle on it, he was sent off balance towards that way. Very bad place to be in as Darrell sensed a large boost of energy to his left, looked. and screamed as Sakura's blast, intended for Rugal, nailed him instead.  
  
{Oh, no.} Sakura K. thought in shock. {What did I do.?}  
  
Once again Darrell fell to the ground, only this time he stayed down, trying to recover from the attack. Rugal just looked at him over his shoulder.  
  
"This shall be an easy victory," he smirked. "Now. there is just one more pest to get rid of"  
  
The light Sakura stared at Rugal, who began to slowly walk towards her. She began to walk backwards, planning on what to do.  
  
{This is bad. Both my sis and boyfriend are down for the count and I don't have anything strong enough to damage him much. I must have used up too much energy on Akuma's dumbass to pull off another Nekketsu Hadouken, too. Now what.?}  
  
She couldn't give it another thought. Rugal disappeared from her sight and put a hand on her shoulder. from behind. Sakura's mind locked up, frozen in fear.  
  
"Need not worry, child," Rugal said calmly. "I'll make your death as quick as possible."  
  
Sakura was spun around and grabbed by the neck. She caught a glimpse of Rugal's eyes, completely red, and the grip on her throat tightened, making her squeal from the pain. As Rugal held her over his head, she tried to kick out, struggle, do SOMETHING to break the hold.  
  
"This. shall be. your dying place."  
  
Rugal then pumped a blat of his Evil Energy into Sakura's body, a skull appearing in the air with the energy like the on her twin sis. Sakura immediately stopped moving but Rugal wasn't done. Re repeated the burst 12 more times before throwing her to the ground, barely breathing.  
  
"As I thought." he mouthed. "This is the ultimate combination of power. Evil Energy and Dark Power. I'm now invincible!"  
  
"That's. what you. think."  
  
Rugal heard the gasps of the male kid, slowly getting up off the grass. His shirt was almost ripped off completely, hanging on by both threads on his shoulder. His arms were hanging by his sides and his breathing was very labored. Rugal gave a quick laugh.  
  
"You should've played dead," he said. "There is absolutely no way you can defeat me now."  
  
"I. still have something. on reserve." Darrell mouthed, his aura doing down a bit from gold to red-orange. However, this state made his power go up.  
  
{What is he doing?}  
  
"Shakunetsu. Burst. X2."  
  
Darrell's hand went aflame. then both arms. Once again Rugal smirked.  
  
"Interesting how you have so many ways to get energy," he said. "Your bond with the girl. your own aura. and now this. Maybe after I kill you I'll take your energy as well."  
  
Darrell didn't reply. He began to close in the gap slightly. then started to run. Rugal braced himself.  
  
"Rekka. Nakkura!!!"  
  
Darrell used what little he had left into his combo super. but Rugal blocked everything except the last Shakunetsuken; he countered that.  
  
"You're finished!" he yelled as he delivered an overhead slash kick, ending Darrell's super prematurely. He then landed a kick to the stomach and then another rising kcik, with one leg first, then the other. Darrell dropped like a rock, bouncing off the grass before landing face-first into the grass, covered with his own blood. His flame had extinguished as well but once again he tried to get up.  
  
"Futile." was the only word Rugal said to the young fight as he raised him upper body up. but.  
  
{I. I. have nothing left.}  
  
Darrell finally gave up and collapsed, triggering a smile on Rugal's face.  
  
"Yes. That's perfect. Now I shall claim his power for my own."  
  
Rugal calmly put a hand over Darrell's head, his faint red-orange aura appearing. He started to absorb it.  
  
SHING!!!  
  
"Gyah!!"  
  
Rugal's process was interrupted by a blast of energy from out of nowhere, gazing his shoulder but nailing him in the back. He growled as he looked towards the direction where it came from and spotted the culprit. A boy. wearing a green uniform. and silked hair...  
  
"Go on and try that again. Just letting you know that if you do. I won't miss."  
  
Just then Darrell sputtered something and although it wasn't noticeable at first glance, in close expection he was smiling.  
  
"Y. Y. Yu. Yusuke."  
  
End of Chapter 34 


	35. Spirit Assistance

35. Spirit Assistance  
  
"Just who do you thin you are?" Rugal asked while eyeing the Sprit Detective. Yusuke, who was in his firing pose, put his arm down and walked calmly towards Rugal.  
  
"Looks like you don't fit the description I got," Yusuke started while stopping a few inches in front of Rugal. "You got the freaky skin, though, but it sure doesn't match what you're wearing."  
  
"What type of fool are you?"  
  
Yusuke smirked. "If you must know I'm the type of fool that likes to kick ass first and ask questions later." A pause, then, "Hey, Boton."  
  
Right behind Yusuke came the blue-haired woman, wearing casual clothes and sneakers.  
  
"Yeah, Yusuke?" she asked from near a close-by tree. just before she eyes the bogies of the three teens on the ground. She gasped just as Yusuke spoke.  
  
"You think you can help them?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"Yeah, no problem," was her response, starting to head towards Sakura S. Rugal saw this and warped in front of her, cutting her off as well as spooking her.  
  
"Going somewhere?" he asked evilly. "I don't think they'll be needing you're assistance."  
  
"Funny. I expected more from someone like you."  
  
Rugal heard an entirely new voice. and yelled in pain as felt steal across his chest. Hiei appeared out of nowhere and struck him with his sword, enabling Boton to carry out Yusuke's request. Hiei simple stood up and looked down at Rugal, who dropped to his knees in pain.  
  
"I have fought demons and opponents way stronger than you. You're nothing. I think its best that I kill you instead of letting you go. It's much more satisfying to the end of the job."  
  
"You." Rugal murmured under his breath. "I didn't. even sense him coming."  
  
"Yeah, he's pretty pathetic." Yusuke commented while walking towards Rugal. "Toguro was way harder. I mean, if those three were at full strength they would have taken him out easily."  
  
"Heh. I'm just surprised they contained so much energy. and they are normal humans." Hiei added.  
  
"Watch it, Hiei," Yusuke smirked. "You're forgetting who you're teaming up with."  
  
"Yusuke. you're anything but normal," the shorter demon countered.  
  
"Whatever." Yusuke finally put his attention on Rugal, who just about ready to recover and said, "Will you do the honors?"  
  
Hiei shook his head in pity, putting his hand on his sword.  
  
SHING!!!  
  
Rugal's now lifeless body now lay on the ground and Hiei put his sword away at his side.  
  
"He wouldn't have lasted even a day in the demon world," Hiei extended his speed. "That first on, maybe. but this one? Not even close."  
  
"Yusuke!" Boton shouted at the other side of the area. I'm finished getting these three up to speed."  
  
Yusuke turned just as Darrell stepped up to him. This time he didn't display any anger. He was somewhat relieved.  
  
"Yusuke. It's pretty clear that you're stronger than me. I couldn't even phase that freak."  
  
"That's because you weren't at 100%" Yusuke reassured while giving a quick smile. "I saw you fight the Akuma guy from the side. If that's your real power. then I'll have a rematch sometime with you."  
  
"Yeah. I'll look forward to it."  
  
"SAKURA!!!"  
  
Everyone turned towards the woods where Hinata came running from and watched her stop next to Sakura K. and give her a big hug.  
  
"Sakura! What were you thinking!? I thought you were going to die if Yusuke and his team didn't come."  
  
"So you saw us, too?" Sakura K. asked before considering what her friend said. "That's what I thought, too. I'm just lucky I didn't die."  
  
"Stupid." Hinata let out again while releasing Sakura K. "I'm just glad you're fine now."  
  
"Now that's two down," Sakura S. mumbled loud enough so that everyone could hear. "We're missing one more."  
  
Everyone turned quiet after that. Only the sound of wind rushing by was heard.  
  
"Yusuke." Darrell called while looking at the late Rugal's body. "We gotta destroy that energy before something else happens."  
  
"I'm on it."  
  
Yusuke aimed his pointer finger at Rugal's chest. A blue ball of energy rested on its tip. then he fired. This Spirit Gun was a lot wider than normal, obliterating the body. This time there was no aura residue. There was a smoking hole in the earth.  
  
"You are going to have to teach me that," Darrell told Yusuke.  
  
Yusuke gave a twisted smirk. "Yeah, sure." he replied sarcastically.  
  
"Oh. I'm hurt, Yusuke." Darrell returned the sarcasm. but just then he was really hurting. A sudden headache arose within him, making him hold his head and yell out.  
  
"Hey! What now?!" Yusuke yelled.  
  
"Darrell! What's wrong?!" Sakura K. asked, worried.  
  
"I. I. I don't know!!"  
  
Just then, a white aura covered his body, shone bright. and exploded into a flash of light.  
  
End of Chapter 35. Look out for Chapter 36: A New Threat Emerges. 


	36. A New Threat Emerges

36. A New Threat Emerges  
  
"Ugh. . . Oh. . . I just can't get a break. . ."  
  
Darrell shook his head while getting up off the ground. When he opened his eyes he stared down, then closed it tight.  
  
{No. . . No, no, no. . . This CAN'T be right. . .!}  
  
He opened his eyes again and then they widened in a mix of fear, shock, and surprise. He was floating. . . Floating in air. . . Correction: he was floating in space, the earth lying beneath him.  
  
"Wha. . . WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!?!?"  
  
"Welcome. . ."  
  
Darrell gasped as he heard a voice in front of him. He laid eyes on a tall man with wild yellow eyes and nothing on but a torn robe and some form of underwear. His skin was divided into two different colors; one side was red and the other was blue. He stood right in front of the youngster as he steadily rose to his feet.  
  
"Who. who. What.?"  
  
The man smirked. "You are confused, aren't you? Yes, you are in space. . . but not in the same void. This is the reason why you can breathe. . . let alone stand."  
  
Darrell looked below him once again and looked back at the man.  
  
"Who. . . are you?" he asked.  
  
"My name is Gill, the new ruler of this planet," he replied as he looked down himself. "I bet you're wondering why you're here. . ."  
  
"Yes, that would be nice to know," Darrell responded skeptically.  
  
"I want to test your skill. I've been keeping an eye on you from up here fighting and I could really use you. . ."  
  
"Use me. . .?"  
  
"That's enough explaining," Gill answered sternly. "Fight me. . ."  
  
Darrell gave him the "you have got to be kidding" look on his face. He wasn't a rookie anymore. He could definitely sense how power Gill was packing. He made Shin Akuma and Ultimate Rugal seem like playthings.  
  
"I. . . I. . ."  
  
Gill didn't let him think about it. He attacked with a violent kick to Darrell's stomach. Instantly he went up into flames, falling back onto the invisible ground. Gill didn't waste any time as he jumped into the air and came down with a flying elbow. Darrell saw this and rolled to his side, avoiding it, and jumped up to his feet, his red-orange aura covering his body. He didn't think. He just reacted.  
  
"SHAKUNETSUKEN. . . SWORD!!!" he yelled as he created his sword and dashed in. He managed to strike Gill on the stomach but Gill's hit stun was practically non-existent. Gill rammed his arm into Darrell's neck with so much speed that Darrell's entire body froze. . . Actually, he really froze from the cold and didn't thaw until he fell to the ground, screaming.  
  
Gill remained on the offense as he tried to plant his foot right into the center of his chest. One problem: Darrell countered with his sword, putting it across his body and blocked Gill's attack. Second problem, the sword was absorbed by Gill's red side and frozen by the blue side. In other words, Darrell still ate the attack, feeling both of Gill's elements simultaneously. Once again his scream went out across the vacuum of space until Gill got up. That didn't mean he let up. He pointed a fist towards Darrell and aimed.  
  
"Pyro-ketesis!!!"  
  
He fired a ball of flaming energy at his foe and Darrell had to roll back to avoid it, making it collide on the floor. Darrell immediately went into his Hadouken stance but Gill sped towards him, ready to floor him like last time.  
  
{Gotcha. . .}  
  
Darrell faked and dashed forward, getting nailed by Gill's attack. He took the flames to get to Gill's back and kick him in the back of the head as he passed. Gill slowed down a tiny bit and spun around, seeing Darrell dashed towards him, his right fist on fire.  
  
"Rekka. . . NAKKURA!!!"  
  
Gill blocked the entire super move, including the last Shakunetsuken, and countered by smashing his fist into Darrell's head. Fortunately Darrell blocked, but the move instantly broke his guard, making him reel back from it, stunned.  
  
"Weak!" Gill bellowed as he followed with a strong kick to Darrell's chin, making him fly back into the ground. . . or so he thought.  
  
{Wait. . . I'm. . . I'M STILL FALLING!!!} Darrell screamed in his head as he looked behind him to the earth behind him. . . then finally fell on another invisible floor. He stayed down and listened to his rapidly beating heart, his eyes still on Gill as he jumped down to the lower floor and stared at him.  
  
"Is this all you have to show me?" Gill asked. "I've seen you do better than this on earth. . ."  
  
"Apparently," Darrell panted as he stood up and went into stance again. . . only to go back out of it and shake his head. Something was wrong. He felt dizzy. . . as if Gill pummeled him a lot more than he actually did. It took a while to realize why. . .  
  
{Those other fights. . . I think. . . I've lost a bit. . . to much blood. Not even healing could replace that. . .}  
  
Gill looked down as Darrell fell to his knees and put one hand on his head, the other on the invisible ground.  
  
"Hmm . . . I think you are finally realizing that no matter how much energy you have you cannot fight every fight to your fullest. . . Now, to end this. . ."  
  
"STOP!!!"  
  
Gill did stop and looked straight ahead at nothing.  
  
"Yes. . . I see that the rest of your companions have made it here. . ."  
  
Darrell's eyes lifted up and he smiled. He saw both Sakuras, Hiei, and Yusuke standing over them. Sakura K. dropped down and faced Gill, who still didn't face her.  
  
"I don't know what the hell is going on but if you're going to hurt Darrell then I can't allow you to get away with it!"  
  
Gill grinned. "I see. . . So you are also challenging me. . ."  
  
He than turned around fully and faced her. Sakura went into her fighting stance. "You don't know what you're messing with."  
  
"Sa. . . Sakura!" Darrell yelled out. "Don't do it. . ."  
  
"Don't worry, Darrell," she reassured. "I'll make sure he'll be sorry. . ."  
  
Gill no longer spoke. He just rushed the schoolgirl, getting ready to ram her with his arm again. Sakura saw him coming and at the last second she dropped down and swept his legs out from under him. She then quickly backed away from his getup attack and rushed back in.  
  
"SHOUOKEN!!"  
  
She managed to nail all 6 hits of the special move and sent Gill flying through the abyss. Gill air recovered and landed on his feet just as Sakura threw a Hadouken towards him. He blocked it with ease but once it cleared, Sakura was right in front of him, grabbing him by the arms. She then turned around, placing her sneakers on Gill's chest and kicked him away. Gill landed with a skid and stayed down for a second.  
  
{Wow. . . She's actually doing well} Darrell thought as he tried to recuperate his senses. Gill got up off the ground and silently raised a arm up above him.  
  
"Insolent gnat. . . WELCOME TO YOUR DEATH!!"  
  
Sakura kept her eye on Gill, going defensive for whatever he would throw at her. Unfortunately, she wasn't prepared for it. . . Because Gill's move didn't come from Gill. It came from above her. . . and she didn't sense it until it was too late. About 30 spheres of ice and fire energy came raining down on her and since they cloaked their power, she didn't sense it. Although not all of them connected, those that did caused tremendous damage on her part, simultaneously flaming and freezing her. . .  
  
{NO!!!} Darrell yelled in his head, frozen on the ground in shock. Sakura finally hit the ground after getting nailed by about 19 of the spheres and stayed down for about 10 seconds before slowly getting up, trying to get the feeling back in her arms.  
  
{Shit. Why didn't I notice. . . something was up. . .?} she asked herself as Gill looked at her, a blue aura appearing around her.  
  
"Hmm. . . I'm impressed that you survived that. . ." Gill let out. "It is a pity that I have to beat you like this. . ."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Sakura K. asked while getting ready to pull off a super.  
  
"I mean that your struggle against me is worthless," Gill said sternly as his energy went skyrocketing. "That was only my first successful attack on you and your vitality is already dropped severely."  
  
Sakura kept mute as Gill started to sprout wings. . .  
  
{What the hell.?} Yusuke thought as he watched the fight. {This guy. . . is so freaking strong it's ridiculous. . .}  
  
"Now you'll die. . ."  
  
By this time, Darrell got up just as Sakura charged up her Shinku Hadouken and Gill rushed her. He sensed his energy. . . and he didn't think. He charged up his own Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken and rushed it. . .  
  
{Come on. Come on, dammit!} he screamed at himself as he saw the red ball of energy go into his hands. At the same time Sakura got hers to it's peak. . .  
  
"Shinku. . . HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
"It's useless!!" Gill yelled as he prepared to go straight through it. . .  
  
"Shakunetsu. . . SHINKU HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
{It still won't matter} Gill thought as he ripped through Sakura K's blast and prepared to strike her. . . just as Darrell's Hadouken appeared to his right. Gill merely let the power from his winds reflect it at twice the speed back at Darrell. . . and struck both teens simultaneously with both attacks, Sakura getting the worst of it. . .  
  
As Darrell felt the pain of his own attack, finally sending him flying up to where the rest of the group was, Sakura was eating up Gill's second. . . and most powerful move.  
  
"SERPENT WING!"  
  
Gill finally stopped, mercifully and let a fully decimated schoolgirl fall to the ground, her blood covering her entire body. He shook his head.  
  
"I told you that your efforts were futile. . ."  
  
------- ------  
  
The dark skinned fighter took a while to get up from his own attack and looked through the invisible floor. . . and he was hit. . . with the sight of Sakura lying on nothing, bloodied severely. . . and he could sense her aura decreasing still. . .  
  
{No. . . NOOOOOO!!!!! SAKURA!!!!}  
  
Darrell was livid. Totally livid. His girlfriend just got slaughtered by Gill's Serpent Wing. She was dying. . . The bad part was that he couldn't stop him. The power just deflected his super move like it was a basketball. and blasted him behind the rest. He was just staring at Sakura's motionless body. fuming.  
  
{THAT BASTARD!!!}  
  
His anger was too much for him to bare; it kept him in place, just staring at the self proclaimed god. He couldn't stand to see him. Then, he heard it. This wasn't his own thoughts. It was like another him inside him. just as angry as he was.  
  
{Gill will pay for what he just did. I swear it!}  
  
[That's right. We'll kill him. just like he tried to do to Sakura.]  
  
{Yeah. that sounds good. We'll murder him.}  
  
[Let your anger fuel you. Release it all on him. Release me. . .]  
  
{I will. . .}  
  
Darrell slowly walked through the darkness to where Gill was standing at, focused on his main priority. the destruction of Gill... He passed Sakura S., who was planning what to do now along with the group. As she saw him and spoke to him, he stopped but didn't look at her. His gaze was straight on Gill.  
  
"Darrell, don't go back in to fight him. He's too powerful for you."  
  
She stopped abruptly, noticing that Darrell's attention was only on Sakura K.'s body. then on Gill. It kept switching from both targets and the instant he fully looked at Gill, she gasped inside her head. She definitely sensed a change in Darrell's aura. It was still golden. but this wasn't the same pure feel. It felt somewhat tainted.  
  
{It. it couldn't be.}  
  
End of Chapter 36 


	37. The End?

37. The End.?  
  
"Darrell.?" Sakura S asked cautiously. She could definitely sense the anger that was in Darrell's eyes. She was pretty angry herself for what Gill did to Sakura K., the one that was becoming a perfect couple for him. And he knocked her bloody. unconscious. But the anger that Darrell was feeling was abnormal. yet similar.  
  
"I'll. kill him." he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. His golden aura degraded to a blazing orange. "I'm going to murder him. with my own two hands."  
  
"What?" Yusuke asked, turning his attention to Darrell. "What did you say?"  
  
"I'll make him pay. for every drip of blood Sakura spilt." Darrell continued his silent vow, clenching his fists at his side in total rage. His teeth clinched together as his aura continued to darken to a dull orange.  
  
"So. the little one had access feelings for the girl." Gill said mockingly as he turned his back to the group. "So what? I can still beat you like I did your girlfriend, so I suggest you just cooperate for what I have in store for you."  
  
"Shut up." Darrell mumbled as he took one step towards Gill. His sneaker echoed through the abyss. "Just shut up. shut up."  
  
And before anyone knew what was happening, Darrell's body literally warped in front of Gill, taking him by surprise.  
  
"What the.?"  
  
"SHUT UPPPPP!!!"  
  
SNAP.  
  
Darrell reached up and grabbed Gill by his bare throat. with one hand. Gill gagged as he tried to break his grip, but Darrell wasn't buying. He just clenched tighter than before, making Gill's eyes bulge out of his skull. The most shocking thing about him was that as he proceeded to lift Gill off his feet, still with one hand, his aura immediately changed to blood red. and a kanji symbol erupted off his back. It read. revenge.  
  
"No WAY!!" Sakura S. gasped at the turn of events. "He's. he's possessed by Satsu no Hadou. but that's impossible! He doesn't practice normal Shotokan! He shouldn't have a trace of it in his body!!"  
  
"You mean to tell me that he is under the same influence as Akuma!?" Yusuke yelled out his question. Sakura just nodded meekly.  
  
"This isn't good." she muttered as she only watched as Darrell continued to choke the life out of Gill. He suddenly raised his right hand up and brought it in front of him so that Gill could see it.  
  
"Do you see this, Gill?" he asked, his voice totally cold. Gill only gagged more, making Darrell lose his patience. "DO YOU!?!?" he yelled in his face, crushing his throat. Right after that, a purple Satsu flame appeared in his right palm.  
  
"This is all the energy I need to kill you. Just to wipe you from existence. This fist, RIGHT HERE! This will be enough to take revenge from what you did to the new love in my life. You almost killed her, Gill." Darrell paused, his glare tightening. "YOU ALMOST KILLED HER!!!"  
  
Darrell let himself hear Gill's gasps for air before he continued. "You don't know what she means to me. YOU NEVER WILL!! You're too much of a. a. IDIOT to even have the slightest sense of conscience in you. But this flame in my fist here. This will serve justice in my book. I'll make you pay. I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THE PAIN YOU CAUSED HER. A HUNDRED TIMES OVER!!!!"  
  
And with that, Darrell revved back and dove his fist straight through Gill's chest. Straight through, just like Shin Akuma tried to do to him earlier. Gill's blood came blasting out of the hole, making his face almost frozen in horror.  
  
"He's gone." Hiei commented, still eyeing the transformed version of the teenage boy. "We can't help him. His anger. it's just way too much to handle right now. The only way we could bring him to his senses is to kill him ourselves."  
  
"WHAT??" Sakura Satsu screamed. "I know you can't be serious. There must be some way."  
  
Everyone stopped when they heard Darrell's unsatisfied voice.  
  
"You're still breathing."  
  
He was right. Darrell just barely misses his vitals, but Gill was in a world of hurt, still hanging from Darrell's grasp, barely breathing. Darrell glared again.  
  
"I just wanted you to get a sample. of what Sakura's feeling right now." he said in a low tone. "Now. you get the main course. Allow me. to introduce you. to."  
  
Darrell put one knee up. his Satsu fist on his knee. just to signify what he was about to unleash onto Gill.  
  
"THE TRUE SHUNGOKUSATSU!!!" he screamed as he made the initial grab to start the onslaught that was about to follow. Gill's eyes widened to the extreme, knowing that his life was about to end.  
  
"SPIRIT GUN!!"  
  
"SHINKU HADOUKEN!!"  
  
"What the.?" Darrell got out of stance to see three enormous energy blasts rocket toward him. He instantly dropped Gill's body and warped to his left, letting the blasts go on for infinite.  
  
"Those belong to. THEM!!"  
  
He looked over his shoulder to see Sakura S. and Yusuke, both in their firing poses. His eyes hardened.  
  
"Just what do you think you're doing?" he asked loudly. "Why did you interrupt me from killing this idiot!?"  
  
"Darrell. I. just don't want you losing your soul over this battle," Sakura S. explained. "Trust me, Darrell. You don't want to go through with what you're doing. When my sister wakes up. and sees that you used the Shungokusatsu and have lost your soul. I really don't want to see the pain on her face when she finds out that her boyfriend turned into a reincarnation of Akuma."  
  
Darrell's eyes immediately opened wide. He never thought about it from that point of view. He wouldn't be much better than Akuma if he killed Gill with the Shungokusatsu. Somehow, the hate in his eyes dulled and his aura brightened a bit, but not by much. He let his arms dangle on his sides as he dropped to his knees in total shock and daze.  
  
"What. what did I become?" he asked himself as he stared at his own Satsu aura. "This aura. this power is used for murder. I wanted to murder him. so badly. I wanted to take revenge for what he did to Sakura. but this." He closed his eyes and let himself sink farther down. Tears ran down his eyes as he spoke again.  
  
"I don't want this! I really don't!"  
  
Sakura S. used her own Ashura Warp to get close to Darrell, putting a hand on his shoulder for comfort.  
  
"It's okay. I guess that all the anger within you was enough to awaken the Satsu no Hadou in you. I guess we just need to get you to control this new power like I did."  
  
"I. I. don't know. I don't want to turn into what Ryu was; always battling his Evil Intent. I just want this out of my system. so that I don't have the intention to murder anymore."  
  
"Is that so.?"  
  
Darrell gasped as he spun around to see Gill rising up, a white aura covering his body. His wound that Darrell gave him earlier vanished. It was like he never was gagging from Darrell's grasp.  
  
Gill eyed Darrell with intense eyes as he stepped forward. Neither Darrell nor Sakura said a word as Gill spoke with the most hatred he ever had.  
  
"You.! You were this close to killing me, boy! Do you have any idea what the penalty is for that!?"  
  
Sakura S. got to her feet and into a fighting stance. "Stay away from him!! He's no longer willing to kill you or anyone else! If you want to get to him, you'll have to go through me!!"  
  
Gill glared at the Satsu girl then dashed over to her direction so fast she couldn't track it.  
  
"Stay OUT of this!!" he yelled as he bashed his right arm into Sakura's head. Sakura's clothes shot into flames as she was knocked far back. way back into the darkness. Darrell's eyes relived that anger that was present before.  
  
"Gill. YOU BASTARD!!!"  
  
Darrell got up to his feet and Ashura warped behind Gill, charging up his famous energy attack.  
  
"Shakunetsu."  
  
A flaming orange ball of energy appeared in his hands.  
  
"Shinku."  
  
It got bigger and more powerful.  
  
"HADO."  
  
Darrell got cut of just as Gill appeared in front of him and grabbed his right hand just before he could unleash the blast; making him drop the charge.  
  
"Oh, no. I saw you use that much power in that move before on Shin Akuma. You won't be able to use it on me."  
  
"Let GO OF ME!!" Darrell yelled while trying to pull his arm back.  
  
"So, I overheard you do not want your Satsu energy. That can be arranged."  
  
"W. what??"  
  
Before Darrell could think twice, Gill used both his energy powers on him at once. Darrell yelled out in pain as his right side of his body felt intense cold while the left got intense heat. It really hurt in the middle. where both mixed to form an unearthly source of pain. Darrell's Satsu aura appeared. but it shortened in length. and shortened. until it was only a small string of lining covering on his body. then the color changed back to orange.  
  
"Gill's. absorbing his Satsu no Hadou." Sakura S. said while getting up from her fall.  
  
Gill muttered something under his breath as he loosened his grip on Darrell, letting him slump to his knees on the ground.  
  
"Your normal and special auras are depleted." Gill said. "The only thing that was keeping you running was the Satsu no Hadou, which I just sucked from your body. You won't be able to do anything to me now."  
  
Gill just stared at him with pity. something that doesn't really suit Gill personality. He sighed and said, "You really cared for that girl." Gill eyed the bloody mess that was Sakura Kasugano. then shot a hand out towards her body. A white aura covered both bodies. and Sakura's wounds started to heal. Darrell was watching the whole thing in shock.  
  
{But. but. why is he healing her? I thought that. that.}  
  
"Gill." he asked while looking up to him. "Does this mean that.?"  
  
"Little one. you mistook me with those other two evil fighters that you fought before I got here to recruit you and the other people here." Gill answered while putting his arm down. "I was here for a different purpose."  
  
"Like what?" Yusuke asked while approaching him. "What you possibly want to do with all that you put this guy through?"  
  
"That wasn't part of my plan. They brought that to themselves by attacking me. Did you ever notice that it was those two with the wild assumptions and those two who delivered the first blows?"  
  
"Now that you think about it." Yusuke said while pondering the situation. ".they did do that."  
  
"Now you see that I had to retaliate by doing what I had to do," Gill muttered.  
  
A loud sob could be heard from Darrell, breaking the conversation. He had his head lowered in shame and tears steadily flowed from his eyes.  
  
"Crap. crap. How. could I be so stupid! So. so stupid."  
  
Everyone in the vicinity eyed him as he went lower than he ever felt about himself.  
  
"Why ? Why. is it always me to screw things up for myself and everyone else? I. don't understand why I'm the idiot."  
  
"Now, now. There's no need to go all out on us again," Yusuke muttered. "Gill took the Evil Energy out of your body and healed your girlfriend. You should be happy."  
  
"NO! Don't you get it? Gill's not our enemy." Suddenly his right fist busted into Shakunetsuken mode. Darrell continued to sob as he raised it in front of him. and said the two words that shocked everyone. including Gill.  
  
"It's. me."  
  
"WAIT!! Don't do it!!" the dark Sakura yelled out. "You don't know what your doing! You're putting the blame that everything happened on yourself. You didn't have anything to do that was that serious for you to kill yourself!"  
  
Darrell sobbed again. then shook his head. "No. this will end everyone's suffering. I'm only holding everyone back. See ya."  
  
"DARRELL!!!" Sakura S. yelled as she tried to warp before he could kill himself... He braced himself. got his Shakunetsuken ready...  
  
{I'm not going to make it.} Sakura S. realized as she saw him rush his fist towards his heart. then something stopped him. It wasn't Hiei or Yusuke either. Not even Gill. It was a hand. that was covered with a red handguard. Darrell looked up to see who just saved his life. and gasped.  
  
"Sa. Sakura.?"  
  
He was right. Sakura Kasugano just blocked his own attack from him. Her eyes were glazed as she spoke to him.  
  
"Don't. don't you even think that I'd let you kill yourself after what we just went through. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't stop you from doing something incredibly stupid like this."  
  
Darrell stood up and stared at her for a while, letting his tears run down his cheeks.  
  
"You. you."  
  
"You idiot." Sakura K. muttered. then she smiled. That was all she needed to do. It was a sad moment, but Darrell fell into her arms and cried on her shoulder.  
  
"How pathetic." Hiei muttered to himself while turning away from the mushy moment.  
  
{I know, Hiei. but you just don't know how I'm feeling right now. I can't help myself.}  
  
"That's it. You can let it all out on my shoulder," Sakura K. whispered. "It's healthy."  
  
Darrell sobbed a few more times before speaking. "Oh. oh, man. I'm a fucking. wreck. I. I don't know what I'd do without you, Sakura.."  
  
"I think we know that already. You'll kill yourself, like you just tried to do 10 seconds ago," she replied while patting him on the back. "But you don't need to worry about it anymore. I'm here for you."  
  
Before she could keep going, a familiar golden aura surrounded the two, reminding her of her special bond with the teen boy that was crying his eyes out on her red shirt.  
  
"We're a couple. ready to do whatever for one another. You should never forget that we're one person in two. If you died, a part of me dies as well and vice versa. We both admitted this last week to one another. and when we get home. let's say that everyone will know our bond."  
  
"You know. this is starting to get really sappy." Yusuke commented.  
  
"Oh, shut up." Sakura S. shot back. "I bet if the same thing happened to you and Keiko, you wouldn't say it was sappy."  
  
"Hey, who told you that I liked her like that!? She only hangs out with me."  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
"Are you two okay, now?" Gill interrupted the love scene with his question. "I just made a decision."  
  
Darrell lifted his head off Sakura's shoulder to look at Gill with his undivided attention.  
  
Gill sighed before going on with, "I never got to tell you why I'm here. I have a proposition for you guys."  
  
"That is.?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"How would you like to start the world all over.?"  
  
"Excuse me?" Sakura K. asked, making sure she heard right.  
  
"You heard me. This world. it's way too dirty. Man trashed it. and I've got the power to start it over from scratch into a utopia that Earth should be. so."  
  
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute," Darrell interrupted. "Back up. You just said that you have the power to erase this current world and start it over again?"  
  
"Yes," Gill answered. "Of course, it won't be as populated. I've been pondering this for a while, and decided that men are like parasites. They grow, they feed, and they move on to deplete the wastes of another source. These are mainly those of corrupted minds. and the new world will certainly not have such parasites. I chose you guys for a task."  
  
"Which is.?" Sakura S. asked.  
  
"To just bring with you a few of your closest friends or relatives. I'm about to move into the action phase and I want some of mankind to survive."  
  
"So. . . why choose us?" Sakura S. asked again. "Some of us here are not exactly who you thought we were. Hiei and . . .and myself. . . We aren't exactly human, you know. . ."  
  
Gill looked at the Satsu Sakura with interest. "I know that as well. Everyone here is making the cut. . . except him. . ."  
  
Everyone pointed into the direction of Gill's finger. . . to see Hiei. He just scoffed.  
  
"Like I need to be in a place like that," Hiei countered. "The demon world is where I belong, so when this little thing happens, I won't be in your way to interfere."  
  
"I know. . ." Gill replied while grinning. "There won't be a demon . . . or a spirit world. . ."  
  
Instantly, Yusuke shot his look up.  
  
"Are you NUTS!?" he yelled. "You have no idea who you're messing with up there! And if you think I'm going to let that happen, then you have another thing coming!"  
  
"Yusuke, don't you understand that with this new earth there won't be a need for those two worlds? They're obsolete in my plans."  
  
"I don't CARE!" Yusuke shot back. "You're messing with the structural balance of the freaking universe, here!"  
  
Darrell immediately looked at Yusuke.  
  
{Wonder how he knows about that.}  
  
Gill shook his head in pity. "Why do you cling to such things? I don't understand."  
  
"Of course you don't," Hiei stepped in, his expression normally cold. "Although I'm not a fan of how things are run in those two worlds, the deceased on earth need a place to 'check in' after death. This new world doesn't promise immortality and I know that you don't possess the power to do that, so what's the point? Ultimately you're wiping out the human race. . ." A sudden smile crossed Hiei's face. "Or. . . is this really your plan?"  
  
"What?!?" Gill let out, insulted. "That's not true! I truly do want some of that race to survive."  
  
"So what are you?" Hiei continued while tightening his glare. "You aren't a true god as you claim to be. You're nothing more than a human blinded by the fact that he possesses more power than others. You're what you hate."  
  
Gill was stunned at the demon's comments. . . and sighed. He was right. All that planning he did would fail miserably. . . leaving him as the only one left. . .  
  
"I see. . . I understand what you are saying. Ironic it takes a demon to tell me my errors. . ." He then turned his back to the group, pondering what to do.  
  
"Maybe. . . I should go back to my original plan of creating an oasis planet. . ."  
  
Darrell, who didn't hear that comment due to his distance, asked, "So. . . now what?"  
  
A pause from everybody in the void. . . then Gill, without turning around, raised his right arm towards them. . .  
  
"I see my boundaries now. I don't need you to be here any longer. . . Farewell."  
  
"Wait a minute!" Yusuke let out but it was too late. A familiar white aura surrounded them. . . and instantly they vanished. Gill closed his eyes briefly before looking in front of him. . . and noticed something was wrong.  
  
{Wait. . . The boy's Satsu no Hadou. . . It should have been in front of me. Where is it?}  
  
End of Chapter 37 


	38. Darrell & Sakura, Darrell vs Sakura

Chapter 38. Darrell & Sakura, Darrell vs. Sakura  
  
NOTE: This chapter contains sex and nudity. Since this is the final chapter, this will be the final warning.  
  
Darrell moaned loudly as he slowly came to. He was on the ground. on his back. sweating like there's no tomorrow. The room he was in was dark, so he couldn't see where he was. and he wasn't exactly on the ground. It was a bed. A nice, comfortable one with sheets securing him. He sat up. and shook his head as he tried to check what happened. After 30 seconds, his head was clueless.  
  
{What the. heck happened? It seemed like. I was fighting three super- powered guys. along with Sakura and the others. but it felt so real I swear I could feel the blood of that last guy. Wait. the rest is a blur. WAIT.! I. can't remember even being with Sakura and the others at the tournament. or any point before that! It's like. she wasn't real to me.}  
  
Darrell turned his head frantically from side to side, looking for something to refresh his memory. but found nothing but darkness. and the room started to look very similar to that. of his bedroom. back at his hometown.  
  
{NO!! It couldn't be.! It was. all. a dream.? It's cruel.}  
  
His eyes started to tear up as things started to make themselves clearer and clearer.  
  
{I swear. that I was there. I. had feelings for her. I LOVED HER, DAMMIT!! WHY!?!}  
  
He lost himself and buried his face in his pillow, crying full force.  
  
{All of that. was a dream. I. don't believe this! I just can't! Reality is full of shit.! Wait a minute.}  
  
Darrell stopped sobbing while raising his head up to inspect his pillow. Even though he wasn't home a lot more than he used to, he still remembered how it was like, especially the bed set. The pillow in front of him was pink. now white or black. Pink. like.  
  
"Mmm. D. Darrell?"  
  
He gasped. He KNEW that mumbling voice right beside him. Darrell looked to his right. and a huge smile of relief spread across his face. Sakura Kasugano was right in his. or rather her bed, mumbling while getting up. He was still in Tokyo. and he was still in Sakura's company.  
  
{ALRIGHT!!! It wasn't a dream!!}  
  
As soon as Sakura sat up to see what was up, Darrell gave her a huge hug, totally startling her.  
  
"Oh, thank God you're here!! I was. worried about."  
  
"About what?" Sakura asked. "And why are you in my bed? We might be that close, but I don't exactly remember giving you permission to sleep with me, you know."  
  
Darrell backed up and blushed. "Sorry. Now that I think about it, I really don't know how we got here. This is your house. but I thought. that we were at this tournament."  
  
"And we fought these three guys with super abilities." Sakura finished. "Yeah. I had the same dream." Suddenly she blushed. She looked at Darrell's body, and even though his lower body was covered with her cover, she could clearly see that he was naked. Totally naked. She looked down at herself. and gasped as she was the same way.  
  
"What's wr." Darrell immediately cut himself off and stared at Sakura's body, just realizing that she had ZERO clothes on. Sakura had the urge to slap him. but she didn't. Darrell wasn't exactly a pervert. and. well. there was something about him. and her.  
  
SHING!!!  
  
In an instant, everything came flooding back into both their minds. or really, almost everything. The tournament and people who participated in there were present. The battle with Shin Akuma and Ultimate Rugal was still there. but there was a blank after that. A definite blank. But the thing that was really apparent. was that they immediately remembered their love relationship.  
  
"Sakura. That dream. was for real."  
  
Sakura stared at him for a while before looking around her. A thought just came into her mind.  
  
"If I'm home. then my parents MUST have seen us. If they found out that we're like this. regardless if we're in love or not. Hold on a minute."  
  
Sakura looked in front of her to see a notebook on her desk. It was open. and resting on the wall. She got out of bed and read the message on it. It was from her mother.  
  
"Dear Sakura. By the time you've read this message, we have seen. and approved of your boyfriend. We're happy about who you're with. Darrell cares for you. and we've seen it all on T.V. at your tournament finals. I know that you've. already had your experiences during your adventure. with him, so that's why we haven't kicked him out. and yes, we DO know that you two. are well. I guess you found out as soon as you woke up. Don't be embarrassed."  
  
Too late. Sakura was already blushing as she read on.  
  
"Also, concerning the matter of your. twin. We were shocked. Really. That must have been the thing you were talking about when you left months ago. We were wondering what to do with her. when you got home. Don't worry about that, either. She'll be fine here. We'll just have to get used to the system Darrell uses. Sakura K. and Sakura S., huh? Pretty clever.  
  
"Well, anyway, we just want to let you know how proud we are of you and your. companions, especially you. You'll find some fresh clothes for you, your sis and Darrell in the free closet your brother uses for his games. They're brand new and should fit perfectly. Oh. and just to let you know. concerning the fact that you are probably reading this nude. Go on. He's right for you. Make him yours.  
  
From Mom."  
  
"Thanks. mom. I guess."  
  
She put the note down and went back over to her bed.  
  
"So. what was that?" he asked.  
  
"It was a note for my mom. You won't believe this. but she accepts our relationship! We're as good as saved... Talk about. a relief."  
  
Darrell smiled. "That's good, but maybe I should get some clothes on. This is sort of humiliating."  
  
He started to get out of the bed. but oddly, Sakura held his shoulders, keeping him in.  
  
"Sakura. what are.?"  
  
"Shh!" she hissed while getting into the bed. "I. always wanted to do this."  
  
Darrell stared at her for a while as she wrapped her arms around his bare body. Darrell was stunned as he saw the look in her eyes. They were full of desire, as if someone flipped a switch inside her that changed her attitude. He started to sweat a bit as she looked down on his bare body. As she glanced back at his face, Darrell decided to talk.  
  
"Sakura."  
  
"Darrell," she cut him off, "tell me something. Did you ever.want to explore me?"  
  
Her question was responded by a huge look of surprise from Darrell. She smiled as he blushed, his embarrassment growing.  
  
"Uh. what.?"  
  
"I knew it. As soon as I talk to you about personal talk, you freeze up. You DO have a shy side. Don't worry."  
  
Before he could think twice, Sakura pecked him on the cheek with a kiss.  
  
"I'll break that habit."  
  
"But. but. I don't know the first thing about."  
  
Sakura silenced him again with a passionate kiss on the lips. After a while, she broke it and said, "I know. I don't, either. I'm trying to see what works on you and what doesn't. Trail and error. Maybe. you should try it, also."  
  
Darrell stared at her once more. and Sakura finally stopped holding back. She pressed her lips on his, making him fall on his back. With each passing second, she built up the intensity of the kiss. She was really getting into it.  
  
Darrell on the other hand, was on fire. Not literally, but Sakura's kisses were making him feel like he was in an oven. Never before had Sakura came on like this. He didn't know how to react to Sakura's actions.  
  
{Hmm. that's weird} Sakura thought. {I know he likes this. but he doesn't know how to react. Not even his body is showing any sign of pleasure in my actions. What's wrong, Darrell? Are you that afraid?}  
  
Sakura broke this kiss from Darrell's lips and stared into his eyes. and knew that her assumption was right. His eyes did show that he liked it secretly. but his body was hard to crack.  
  
{Playing hard to get.? I get your game now, Darrell.}  
  
"It's no use, Darrell," she grinned. "I know your little secret."  
  
Darrell stared at her with a blank expression on his face. "Secret.?"  
  
"I'm going to crack that shell of yours."  
  
Not waiting for an answer, Sakura got into a position so that she was laying parallel on top of Darrell. Darrell kept his eyes on something he NEVER thought he'd see in his life time. Sakura's butt was up in the air. It seemed like no harm done, but even though Darrell was naïve, he knew exactly what Sakura was about to do.  
  
{Oh. shit. She. wants me to. truly unite. with her.}  
  
"Sakura. I. I."  
  
Sakura saw Darrell's reaction and blushed.  
  
{He found out. Good boy.}  
  
"It's okay," Sakura mumbled quietly. "I know how serious this is for both of us. A person. can only cross that certain line once in his or her life. I think that it's our time to do that."  
  
Darrell stared at her even more, speechless. Sakura was totally serious about this. and deep down he knew he was serious, too.  
  
{I promised myself that I wouldn't act shy around girls. especially Sakura, but why is it so hard to dive in this time? Am I. afraid to do this?}  
  
Somehow, Sakura immediately knew what was going through Darrell's mind. It was so clear to her, now. She gave him a warm smile and kissed his chest. This time, the kiss was different. Darrell could feel her teeth penetrate his skin and it began to sting at first. but a few seconds, he welcomed it. The burning sensation intensified as Sakura worked up to his neck. then finally back to his lips.  
  
At this time, Darrell's body finally woke up, and Sakura saw it as Darrell suddenly stiffened and blushed at the same time. She stopped her moves for a second and looked down for the first time ever.  
  
{Yep. I finally broke it.}  
  
Darrell's little friend was awake and in full force and Sakura was going to make full advantage of it.  
  
"Oh. now you're getting it."  
  
Darrell stared into Sakura's eyes for a few seconds more. and finally made his own move.  
  
"Sakura. are you ready. because I think I am. There's no time like the present."  
  
Sakura looked into Darrell's eyes again. and smiled.  
  
{He's finally catching on.}  
  
"Okay, Darrell," she started. "I've been waiting for this. whoa!"  
  
Darrell reached up and within a few seconds, he was on top of her, the exact opposite of what was happening before. Darrell was running on instincts and adrenaline, a combination that worked a lot in his battles. It was time to see if it would work in this battle. He took a deep breath. waited for Sakura's signal. and hit home.  
  
Sakura gasped loudly at she wasn't as prepared as she thought for Darrell's thrust. She held onto his body, half from the pain and half making sure Darrell wouldn't pull out. Darrell saw that she was in pain. and was trying to withdraw.  
  
"Oh, man! Sakura! I'm. I'm sorry!"  
  
"Don't be." she whispered, her breathing slowing down from it's rapid pace. "You. did good. I'm. fine."  
  
Both calmed down, staying within one another. It only took a few seconds before Sakura was starting to feel herself build up. Problem is, Darrell didn't have a clue.  
  
"Da. Darrell!" she gasped, gripping tighter. "I. I'm releasing!!"  
  
"You're what??" Darrell asked, totally surprised. "What do you mean by.?"  
  
Darrell didn't get to finish the sentence as Sakura abruptly spread her love juice all on him. Darrell's eyes went wide from what just happened.  
  
"Oh. Sakura.," he moaned. "That's what you meant."  
  
Sakura was breathing hard, lying on her back from all that just happened from her. She was tired. but she knew that Darrell didn't go yet. She would have to hold out.  
  
"Okay, Darrell. Your turn."  
  
"I don't know, Sakura. I think I'll work up a bit."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You'll see," he replied, a small smile on his face as he came close and worked on one of Sakura's breasts. Sakura could feel herself fill up a bit. and knew what Darrell was talking about.  
  
"First you have no idea what to do. Now you want to do some pro effort."  
  
"Like you did," Darrell finished her sentence and resumed by getting the other breast. Sakura stayed quiet at that comment. She did come hard. and she didn't know it. After a few seconds, Darrell went for passionate kissing with Sakura and lucky Sakura had enough strength to return the favor.  
  
{Sakura. I had the impression that the male should set the female free first. but this time you did it to me. You set me free first. I appreciate that. a lot. and I think I'm returning. the favor.}  
  
"Sakura.! I think I'm going to do it.!"  
  
Sakura heard Darrell's warning and braced herself. then had an idea. Just before Darrell thought he was going to go all out, Sakura switched positions insanely fast like Darrell did earlier, pulled out, and put a finger on the top of his shaft, stopping him from going any further.  
  
"Oh, man, that's cruel, Sakura." Darrell muttered, tightening from his build-up.  
  
"I know." she smiled mischievously. "So tell me. how much do you want to get payback on me? How much do you want me?"  
  
Darrell grunted a bit, getting uncomfortable. but he couldn't give in to Sakura. He just knew where it would lead to. but he had no choice. She held all the aces.  
  
"I want you. I really want you."  
  
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you."  
  
Darrell turned up the volume. "I really want you, Sakura. Very much."  
  
"You're getting there." she teased. She wanted Darrell to beg for her. and she wouldn't stop until that wish was fulfilled. Darrell gripped the bed. and couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"I WANT YOU!!!" he howled. "Come on, Sakura! I'm begging you."  
  
She smiled. Sakura finally got Darrell dominated. "That's it, Darrell. You got it."  
  
Sakura reunited with Darrell. and Darrell didn't waste any time releasing. Sakura could feel his juice flowing steadily inside her and didn't resist. When it stopped, Darrell's grip loosened, fatigue setting in.  
  
"Oh, man." Darrell said quietly. "You won round two. Sakura."  
  
"But remember, there's three rounds to every fight," Sakura reminded him. "Let's see who wins."  
  
By the looks of it, both had one more blast before their bodies gave out. Sakura sort of noticed this, Darrell didn't. She knew that her tank was almost full, but Darrell just released. It would take about a minute for him to catch up and she didn't feel as if she'll hold that long.  
  
"Darrell. I think we need to kick it into overdrive for this last time." she suggested.  
  
Darrell looked up through half closed eyes and cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean. by that.?"  
  
"Simple."  
  
Sakura closed her eyes, building up the energy she used to fight. After a few seconds, Darrell knew what she was talking about.  
  
"Hold on, Sakura. I'll help."  
  
Since both were charging for the same thing, it took only a moment. The room glowed with the presence of their love aura as it surrounded the two. Sakura let out a smile at their feat.  
  
"How ya doing. down there?" she asked. "Think you got it in you?"  
  
Darrell didn't respond verbally. Instead he managed to get up and kiss her quickly before flopping down on her bed.  
  
"What does. that tell you?"  
  
"Don't play in riddles with me, Darrell," Sakura scolded, her weak smile still intact. "I'm a straight up girl."  
  
Before she could continue, Darrell pulled her close to him and both resume their kissing streak. They knew the moment would come soon. It's just the matter of who will want it more. Who would say it's time.?  
  
The answer came only 5 seconds later.  
  
"Sakura. Here it comes.!"  
  
"Oh, man, Darrell! That was quick. I was waiting on you, you know."  
  
Sakura saw him tighten up. and smiled. He was hers, now. just like her mother permitted.  
  
{Such a. nice one, Darrell is. I'll never let him go. I hope you don't either. Darrell.}  
  
"I guess I'm going, first.!?" Darrell yelled out, ready to give Sakura her victory. but Sakura's next motion surprised him totally.  
  
"Darrell! I'm going. too!"  
  
Darrell's mind went clotted after that. and, as if they shared thoughts, released at the same time. Sakura finally fell onto Darrell's body, totally exhausted from the double exchange. Darrell's grip on her loosened also and his arms flopped to his sides, spread out. Both were breathing hard on each other. but it was a great effort.  
  
"Sakura.," Darrell managed to mumble in her ear as her head was resting next to his. "Why. did you give in at the last second? I thought. you dominated me."  
  
"I did," Sakura answered, her voice muffled since she was face first in her pillow and too weak to turn her head. "It's just that. without knowing it. you got me, also. I couldn't hold it any longer."  
  
Quiet went on for a few seconds, in which time the aura disappeared leaving two teens in a huge wreck on one another. Darrell finally said something. which meant more than anything Sakura heard throughout their experience.  
  
"Sakura. I love you. There's no way. I'm leaving you. We're one, now. Let's not forget it."  
  
"I can. live with that."  
  
"Oh. and Sakura. one more thing. If, by chance, I forget that. hit me with another Midare Zakura. I'll remind myself... while you kick my butt."  
  
Sakura turned her head to Darrell's. and nodded in agreement. They kissed one more time. then finally went out like a couple of candle lights.  
  
----- ------  
  
"So, Sakura. are you ready?"  
  
"Sure, Darrell. Let's do this!"  
  
"Okay. but first. let's charge up to get ready."  
  
It was the Saturday after the end of the tournament and Darrell and Sakura K. found themselves in Sakura's backyard. It was a warm summer afternoon and Sakura's family wasn't home, leaving just Darrell and the two Sakuras, but the darker Sakura was sleeping late. Both fighters were in almost matching street clothes: blue jeans with white (Darrell)/light blue (Sakura) shirts and sneakers. Sakura had on her headband and red handguards while Darrell had his blue handguards.  
  
They stood right in front of one another focusing their energy, and after a while, the golden aura appeared around them. The wind picked up a bit as Sakura jumped back and into her fighting stance, breaking the aura into two separate auras around the fighters.  
  
"Now then. let's just see how this aura can handle our little training bout."  
  
"Another test of our bond, huh, Sakura? This one I might just enjoy. This. was what I wanted from the very beginning of this little adventure."  
  
Sakura smiled, then dashed in towards Darrell, who went into a defensive position. She started with a strong punch to the face that was dodged and returned with an uppercut. Sakura barely moved out of the way to return Darrell's uppercut with a roundhouse kick. Darrell parried, throwing his girlfriend off guard, and countered with a right hook to the head. Although she was off balance, Sakura K. ducked it and pulled out her flower kick. Darrell used his arms to block it as well as the strong kick to his stomach. Sakura glanced at him as he hopped into the air for his Senpukyaku and ducked that kick but was almost caught off guard at Darrell's extension sweep kick.  
  
Sakura relied on her instincts and jumped it, then kicked out strong with her right leg. Darrell was still spinning from his Senpukyaku and when he turned towards Sakura for the final time, he used his left knuckle to knock Sakura's sneaker away. She spun around in the air in recoil, but landed on her feet, unharmed. Darrell performed a scissors kick to Sakura's head, but she duck and went for the sweep to his ankles. Darrell forced himself to get down to block her kick and retaliated with a Shakunetsuken Upper to Straight.  
  
Sakura telegraphed and sidestepped to her right, her fist to her side.  
  
"Shouoken!!" she cried as she was about to finally deliver the first clean attack, but Darrell hit the deck and rolled forward to get out of her way. At this point, both just countered, dodged, and blocked each others' moves. It was a long 10 minutes, and still, no one touched the other cleanly. As they fought on, their aura started to glow brighter and bigger. Before, there were two separate gold auras; a symbol of the love between the two. but now it merged as if to connect them into one complete being. One huge, gold aura covered the Kasugano backyard as Sakura threw a Hadouken at her boyfriend. Darrell did the same, causing the two blasts to cancel out.  
  
"Okay, Darrell! Try this one out for size!! Midare. Zakura!!"  
  
"Oh, yeah? Rekka Nakkura!!!"  
  
Even though they were using incredible fast super moves, they still couldn't nail the other. They were moving too fast to be hit. that is until the moment before they tried to end their moves.  
  
POW!!!  
  
The first hit of the match was after about 11 minutes. and it was a trade off. Both fighters nailed each other in the head with wicked blows, instantly knocking them both down. but instead of being knocked away from each other, they both sort of popped into the air with the other. then dropped to the ground.  
  
"Ugh." Darrell groaned as he stood up slowly along with his girlfriend. As he looked up, he saw smoothing totally weird: three Sakuras swimming in his eyesight, along with a halo of stars that circled his head.  
  
{Whoa.} He thought as he tried to shake the dizziness from his head. {This doesn't. normally happen to me.}  
  
As he recovered, Sakura's voice rang in his head.  
  
"Heh. I guess I'm getting a little stronger, huh? Let's keep going. but this time let's turn up the stakes."  
  
Darrell looked up to Sakura, who obviously recovered faster from her dizziness, and asked, "What.?"  
  
"I mean all because we're boyfriend and girlfriend doesn't mean that we should go easy on one another. Let's go all out. farther than we ever did before."  
  
For once he smiled. "I sensed that you were holding back. Just don't blame me if you're injured."  
  
"Ditto, Darrell." Sakura replied as she went into her stance. "Let's go!"  
  
Darrell focused himself for his trademark Shakunetsuken but as he was charging, Sakura was doing the same. He didn't notice it until he finished.  
  
"Shakunetsu. KEN!!" he roared as his fists went aflame. Just then, Sakura yelled out a new attack name.  
  
"Ougi. HADOUKEN!!"  
  
"Huh?" Darrell gasped as he looked up to his opponent, seeing her fists covered in her energy. "Secret Surge Fist? Sakura.? What have you've been hiding from me?"  
  
Sakura smirked as she answered. "Along with the Nekketsu Hadouken. I managed to create a new move for myself. This is the first time I've used it and to be honest, I copied of the same move you're using now. I think it's time to see whose is stronger."  
  
"Let's."  
  
Both charged at each other at the same time, Sakura going offensive. Darrell wasn't expecting her to come out so fast with a punch and got nailed in the cheek because of it. He reeled back, managing to ward off Sakura with a few blocks and a shoulder push to give himself room to check himself. When he did, he found out that he was bleeding, but it was a small cut.  
  
"Hey.! That really hurt!" Darrell looked up to see Sakura giggling at him. "That's not funny, Sakura!"  
  
Sakura stopped and came back at him, catching him off guard again. Darrell narrowly dodged a body blow with Sakura's new attack and countered with his own burning punch. Just like Sakura did to him, Darrell hit her cheek cleanly, leaving a bruise. Sakura didn't even have to look at herself to know that the mark was there.  
  
"Now we're serious," she declared then went in to start a barrage of punches that were either blocked or evaded by Darrell. After a while Sakura grew tired and delivered a swift kick to Darrell's stomach. He never saw it in time.  
  
"What the. GYAH!!"  
  
Darrell was in pain. a lot of it. He dropped to his knees, clenching his stomach with his left arm. His attack was still going, however, and Sakura knew that. She stayed her distance and charged up.  
  
"Hadouken!"  
  
Darrell lifted his head and rolled out the way of Sakura's projectile to stand up. Sakura was already on top of him.  
  
"SHOUOKEN!!"  
  
Unlike her previous Shouoken, the one she used had a wave of energy in front of her as she delivered her special move. As Sakura roofed her boyfriend, she quickly landed and charged up again, this time upwards.  
  
"Shinku."  
  
Just as a blue aura covered her body, Darrell air recovered and started to land before he looked at Sakura.  
  
"Oh CRAP!!" he yelled in surprise as he knew he was without defenses.  
  
"HADOUKEN!"  
  
Sakura threw her stored energy out into a huge blast that rocketed towards Darrell. A few seconds before it could hit, Darrell braced himself, getting into an aerial blocking stance.  
  
{Huh? He knows he can't guard that without any footing into the ground. What's he thinking?}!  
  
Sakura got her answer.  
  
"Saikyo Defense!!!"  
  
{Humph! Looks as if he paid a visit to Dan. I can't believe he learned something from him.}  
  
When the Hadouken made contact with Darrell's guard, he pushed outwards with his arms, his yellow aura enabling him to send it upwards until it disappeared into thin air. He didn't waste time with words as he landed and immediately charged at Sakura. He threw a burning punch that Sakura blocked with one arm, then another that she swatted away. Sakura returned with her own energy-packed punch that Darrell hopped away from, only to hop back in with an elbow to the nose.  
  
Sakura yelped as she was sent back by the force of his blow and instantly felt her nose bleed.  
  
{Shit! This isn't good.}  
  
"Hadouken!"  
  
Sakura never lost focus and jumped over Darrell's energy attack. She then buried her sneaker deep into his face before he could recover with a hard kick. She heard Darrell curse under his breath as he was forced out of his momentum, but quickly regained it, rubbing the rushing blood that was coming out of his cheek and now his nose. Sakura wasn't going to let him recover anymore as she delivered a fast Shunpukyaku, but Darrell countered with a Shakunetsuken Upper, flooring her.  
  
Sakura stayed down, letting the flames on her die out and recovering a bit of her energy. She felt a breeze in the area of her shirt Darrell just nailed her at and knew that Darrell ripped a gap in it.  
  
"Come on, Sakura! You said not to hold back. I'm not. You can't take the heat, can you?"  
  
"Oh, shut up!" Sakura replied as she got up, a bit shakily. "You've been trailing for a while, but I still have a lot of vitality left. Let's keep going."  
  
"Sure," Darrell agreed. He went right back into his fighting stance and waited for Sakura to get to her feet, then charged up another Hadouken and threw it. Sakura once again jumped it, but this was a mistake.  
  
"Shakunetsuken Upper!!"  
  
Sakura gasped as she knew what would happen. She thought quickly. and kicked out once again, trying to hit Darrell first. Unfortunately, she didn't, but that doesn't mean that she missed.  
  
Both attacks traded off again, Sakura's sending Darrell reeling and Darrell's once again letting Sakura eat grass. She stayed down a bit as Darrell held his nose, which was busted open.  
  
"Ugh. I got to stop her from. getting into the air."  
  
He wiped the blood from his face and shook his head just as Sakura got back into stance. Once again, she was quick to the gun.  
  
"Shouoken!"  
  
Darrell blocked her modified Shouoken and Sakura bounced back. He dashed after her, about to perform another uppercut but Sakura was ready.  
  
"Hadouken!"  
  
Once again she got him off-guard with a surprise attack, nailing a Hadouken right in his face. This stunned him for her next attack.  
  
"Haru. ICHIBAN!!"  
  
Sakura took him up above the height of her house with her super Shunpukyaku, attacked a bit in mid air, and finally smashed Darrell back to earth with a sledgehammer blow. Darrell's body slammed right into an outdoor table, almost denting it, and bounced off into the grass, face first. Sakura landed and looked at her boyfriend and giggled.  
  
"This is what you get for rushing me," she added her insult to injury. She went back into stance as soon as Darrell struggled to get up. He rested on one knee, a hand on his forehead again, once again seeing stars.  
  
"Sa. Sakura. Wait." he pleaded. "I'm. sort of out of it. right now."  
  
Once again Sakura giggled. "I can see that by the stars over your head. This is the second time in one match. Don't tell me you're getting soft."  
  
Darrell shook his head one more time before standing up completely, still a bit dizzy. Sakura smirked and got into her stance once again. This time she waited for Darrell to get his head together before she came up with a blow to the head. Bad move.  
  
"Gotcha!" Darrell yelled with a sudden burst of speed. He rolled in close to Sakura, grabbing her arm and shoving his elbow right into her chin.  
  
{His. Blind Counter. move.} Sakura acknowledged through the pain she felt. Darrell then let go of her arm, only to blast her in the head with the fist he was using to hold it. He then super canceled.  
  
"Rekka. NAKKURA!!!"  
  
Darrell then went into his super combo, letting loose all the power he could muster, then once again, just before he finished with the Shakunetsuken Straight, he super canceled again.  
  
"Furi-saturai. Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku!!"  
  
Darrell then went into his second super move, going through all sorts of varying kick combinations before finishing it. Sakura was sent spinning into the fence of her backyard, leaving back a spot of blood from her face. She slammed into it back-first, then dropped to her knees, gasping for air. She also shook her head, getting the stars out from over her head. Darrell just let her recuperate.  
  
"Hmm." Darrell wondered. "Guess you should worry. about yourself, Sakura. Don't. underestimate me."  
  
"You really. are trying my. patience." Sakura responded as she finally rid herself of her dizziness and got up, wiping the blood off her face. Both stared each other down. and simultaneously charged at one another. It wan no longer a training bout. It was a test to see who was the stronger spouse.  
  
---- -------  
  
"Ggyyyyyyyyaaaaahhh!!"  
  
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!"  
  
It has been a whopping 45 minutes of straight fighting at their best. Their clothes were shredded, their bodies bruised and cut. and still neither teen was willing to give up. It came to a battle between their best energy attacks, the Nekketsu Hadouken and the Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken x3. The entire thing left the backyard in shambles. and the two lying on the ground half a foot away from the other, exhausted.  
  
"S. so. do you. give up?" Sakura asked.  
  
"I. don't think. so." Darrell responded weakly. "How. about you?"  
  
"No. way."  
  
Darrell and Sakura struggled to stand at the same time. Both let out painful gasps throughout the whole 15 seconds that it took them to get there. As they faced each other once again, Sakura stared into Darrell's eyes and noticed something.  
  
{Oh. man. What did I. do? I beat him. to tears.}  
  
Darrell's eyes were watery, but he was holding his tears in. He was taking way too much punishment to hide it for long, though. Then again, when Darrell glanced at Sakura, he saw something also.  
  
{Wha. what? Sakura. You're. hurt badly. What have. we been doing?}  
  
Darrell finally shook his head, surprising Sakura somewhat. When he stopped, he spoke. and Sakura was glad he did say what he did.  
  
"Sakura. This. is too much. I can't. fight you anymore."  
  
"Me neither. It's. not like us. to beat each other up this. badly. So."  
  
A brief pause. and then both spoke up at the same time.  
  
"Wanna call it. a draw.?"  
  
At that moment, both stared at each other for a while. and finally Sakura walked close to Darrell and smiled. There was the answer.  
  
Darrell returned the smile briefly then put his hands on his knees as he spoke. "Come on. We're both. tired. Let's go. inside."  
  
"Darrell!! Sakura!! What the heck have you been doing?! You two look terrible!"  
  
"Hinata." both muttered under their breath as they turned to Sakura's backyard gate to find the other part of their team. She had a shocked look on her face as she hopped the gate and ran to check them out.  
  
"Hi, Hinata," Sakura managed to say, but Hinata cut her off.  
  
"How long have you two been fighting each other?" she demanded.  
  
"Uh. about. 45 minutes." Darrell replied solemnly.  
  
Hinata stared at the two battered friends and shook her head.  
  
"You weren't in this much of a bad shape since we fought Akuma and Rugal. Come on in. I'll treat your wounds."  
  
"Ah, come on, Hinata," Darrell moaned. "It's not. that bad."  
  
"I beg to differ."  
  
All three looked towards the back door and saw Sakura S., still in her nightgown. Her eyes were half-closed as if she just woke up.  
  
"Not you too," Sakura K. muttered. "You of all people should know that we're just fine."  
  
The darker Sakura shook her head in disagreement. "I'm with Hinata on this one. If your little training bout woke me up, then I know that it was a huge battle. You and Darrell are almost on the verge of fainting on top of one another. I'm actually surprised you didn't."  
  
Both Sakura K. and Darrell shot her looks, but Sakura S. and Hinata grabbed them by the arms and dragged them inside.  
  
"Don't worry. You'll be fine," Hinata added to Sakura S.'s earlier statement. "Don't you remember that you can heal each other?"  
  
"We can't." both said simultaneously.  
  
"Why not?" Hinata immediately shot back.  
  
"Well." Darrell started, "the fight took all of our energy. We can't do a thing right now."  
  
"Biida! I should have known. Well, then, I guess it wouldn't hurt if you two chilled out and rest for the rest of the day, huh?"  
  
"I guess so," Sakura K. said.  
  
As all four rested in Sakura's living room couch, Darrell sighed. He had some things on his mind that he took for granted for a while. but now he thought it was time to pay his respects.  
  
"You know guys. I'm really glad I'm friends with you. I never had this sort of bond with anyone else before. With all we went through."  
  
"You don't need to go further," Sakura S. interrupted, pausing to take a sip out of the drink she got from the kitchen. "It's nothing."  
  
"Yeah, it's just what comes natural when you're around people who really care for you," Hinata added while sitting down. "Just as long as you don't do anything to break that bond. then everything will be fine."  
  
Darrell built up a smile as everyone looked at him, expecting him to comment. He did. but it was a shocker.  
  
"That's good. because after the tournament I called my mother. and after a lot of paperwork and nagging. I decided to stay here with you guys."  
  
Instantly, the other three girls shot him looks, making him sweartdrop. He didn't expect them to react that way so he tightened in his chair as a response.  
  
"Uh. wrong. thing to say?" he asked.  
  
The stares continued until Sakura K. started to giggle. At first it was light but it quickly grew in volume into a full-blown laugh. Everyone then looked at her, but she didn't stop.  
  
"Darrell. That's great! Do you know what this means? We won't have to separate for anything! I'm so excited about what happens to us later in life now that we're a couple!"  
  
Darrell smiled and blushed simultaneously. He finally found peace within himself and his dearest friends, as well as place where he felt accepted. He found a second home.  
  
"Thanks again, guys." he said out loud. He then got up and asked, "Hey! How about a little trip to Ryuzama's ice cream place? I'm buying!"  
  
"Sure! No problem!" Hinata cheered while jumping out her seat, revving to go. The Sakuras just smiled and followed suit. Within 5 minutes the team was walking outside, ready to gouge themselves. but as they went, a figure was watching them from an alleyway, his dark eyes on Darrell.  
  
"But. . . but. . .that's not possible. He doesn't remember me. . . or even recall that last confrontation. My own other half. Why?"  
  
The figure in the shadow of the building just shook his head. . . then walked away, certain that he would meet his lighter side again. . .  
  
END  
  
Author's Final Notes: Well. after a lot of planning and 8 months of writing Street Fighter: New Archives is finally finished. . . or is it? Do I smell a sequel? Anyway please review because I'd like to see how I did on my first fanfic. Expect a lot of SF fanfics from me. For now this is DeNice signing off until next time. 


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